Yesterday I was buying Gerber’s peaches at the United Grocery Store in Wichita Falls to feed Daniel. This weekend he is home from college, so today I paid for him to eat out with his friends. I do believe the Gerber days were cheaper. It really seems like yesterday that he was sitting in his high chair providing commentary on the family life of the Knox household, as he ate the Gerber peaches and hideous pureed green beans.

Jan and I decided we would treat ourselves as well today since the boys were eating out with their friends. We went to the Cotton Patch Restaurant with our own friends. While I was enjoying my meal I noticed a lady sitting in the booth across from our table cutting her elderly mother’s meat for her. The older lady was obviously feeble and could not feed herself.

I was quickly reminded that life comes full circle. The elderly lady no doubt fed her daughter pureed green beans years ago. And now her daughter is extending a similar courtesy back to her mother. A plethora of thoughts immediately flooded my mind. It occurred to me that I should really be nicer to my boys. I want them to take me out to Sunday lunch, when I can no longer feed myself. And then I realized that was not the correct response. I need to pray that each of them meet and marry really nice young ladies. One of their wives will most likely be the one who gets stuck with “feed John duty” in a few years. If it were left up to them, Randall would hire someone to do it. Daniel would just leave me at home. Mitchell would actually take me to the restaurant, but he would remind me the entire time that I was mean to him in restaurants when he was a little boy. I am making a mental note right now…pray for compassionate wives.

The lady cutting up the chicken for her mother in the restaurant today was inspiration to me. I have become increasingly aware of the fact that the elderly in our society are often put out to pasture. Visiting nursing homes is not my favorite area of pastoral care, but it is desperately needed. Every time I go to one of the nursing homes I made aware of residents who have few, if any visitors. And then there are people who still live in their homes, but it is difficult for them to get out. Many of them no longer have a driver’s license.

I needed to be reminded today that life comes full circle. I needed to observe such a basic act of service on behalf of another human being. We have a responsibility to reach out the most vulnerable among us. And it we would be wise on my part to be extra nice to the boys…. Maybe I SHOULD send them only to the best restaurants, because  I really don’t want to be left at home when I can no longer drive!