Read: John 11:1-45

John 11:19 tells us that, “…many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.” The community that formed around Martha and Mary to comfort them gives us a suggestion of what we can do for one another as we mourn and handle death together.

Emerson Elementary, where I served as principal for six years, was a community of educators who supported one another and the families of the children we served. When my mother was dying of cancer, the teachers provided an evening meal for Ron, our two teenage sons, and me every night for two months freeing me to spend time with my mother. What an example of support!

“Five Wishes” is a living will document that encourages consideration of the kinds of support you want when you are dying. Wish #4 gives us as a faith community some useful suggestions: Visit me; sit next to me and hold my hand; be cheerful and not sad; pray for me both in person and when we are apart; and play music. In my document, I have requested Taizé chants, especially Nada te Turbe (Nothing Can Trouble).

Ron is a Hospice Volunteer, and one of the options is “respite care” which provides a volunteer to sit with the patient so the primary caregiver can be free to do something else. One grateful husband and wife expressed that they had not been able to go grocery shopping together for over a year.

Dear God, we thank You for giving us a community that allows us to participate in healing and restoring your world. We thank you for giving us options to support one another and words to say when we don’t know what to say. Amen.
-Cathey Frederick