Today I went to a funeral.

I have a friend whose family has been taking care of her father for five years in their home.

She and her family have gone to extraordinary lengths to provide and care for him. They remodeled his house, stayed with him, moved families around.

Elderly care is not easy. It's a sacrifice.

This man was dealing with a variety of health conditions which left him incapacitated, mentally and physically. The family had to make difficult decisions, including whether or not to put him in assisted living. It wasn't until he lost the ability to move his legs that they decided he needed professional help. He remained there for three months and died unexpectedly in his sleep while taking a morning nap.

The shock of this sudden loss was noticeable.

When someone is the center of your life and you alter your entire life for the sake of that person, having him gone is almost like a numbing experience. It's unthinkable that they're gone. One moment you're talking with him about your day, about the weather or whatever and the next moment he's gone.

You find yourself talking about him in the past tense. It goes from "He is a good man" to "He was a good man".

I'm Grateful for the Faithfulness of Families

It's something that is becoming lost in our modern age. Families taking care of the elderly. It's because they can be difficult and ungrateful. But it doesn't matter. Ultimately, it's the job of families to care for their elders through whatever difficulties they experience.

Life is precious, especially when we are helpless.

I am grateful for families that make sacrifices for their elderly, families who are willing to show them great respect and love by taking care of them, themselves. Sometimes that includes decisions that involve professional care as a last resort, but it is not relied upon as an "out".

There is much to see and learn at a funeral.

I've observed that family who care for the elderly and are faithful to the end through difficult times have a different reaction at the funeral than those who remained distant through the trials. In those were are involved, I see sadness, surprise, shock and relief. In those who were distant and not involved, I see devastation and regret.

The House of Lamentation

The heart of the wise is in the house of lamentation,
while the heart the fool is in the house of rejoicing.
Ecclesiastes 7:4

I used to think the "house of lamentation" was a home mourning the death of a family member, but I've come to believe it's something else entirely.

I believe a house of lamenting is a home where the family is lamenting and mourning the declining condition of their own, including their elders.

When a respected father looses his ability to think and speak and walk it is something to lament, to mourn. It's not pleasant. It is not a house of rejoicing. But it is right and good to be in the house of mourning and lamentation, helping the elderly through difficult times. That is where the hearts of the wise can be found. It is the house of a faithful family.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleans your hands sinners and purify your hearts double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and lament. Let your laughter be converted into mourning and joy into dejection. Be humbled then in the sight of YHVH and He shall exult you. James 4:8-10

May the hearts of the wise be exulted in the Day of YHVH, for their faithfulness to their family through the difficult times, through lamenting and mourning.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

@ironshield

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This is day 16 of 70 of the #gratefulvibes challenge by @paradise-found.
https://steemit.com/gratefulvibes/@paradise-found/2udu6y-gratefulvibes-community-challenge-day-16-attitude-of-gratitude