But one day, Teresa knocked on our door and said she could work for us three times a week. She’d come in early and leave late. We didn’t know her from Adam, but we were desperate and she seemed sincere.
Teresa turned out to be unexpected grace dropped from above. Three times a week, this struggling single mother of five, masquerading as a warrior, would clean and sanitize every nook and cranny of our house, wash and iron our clothes, change our curtains and linens, sort out our things inside cabinets, tend to the garden, etc. It felt as though Ate Vi resurrected.
Until the Covid-19 pandemic.
Because of the strict implementation of the quarantine, Teresa asked us if she could stay in till after the lockdown?
If this isn’t manna from heaven, what is? Before us was Mother Teresa personified. She came to serve the poor in spirit, four dependent individuals and five pets marooned in a house that needs daily caring.
It’s been three weeks since she moved in, freeing us to do our work online while she sees to the details of our daily needs. Mother Teresa sends her pay to her children who have children of their own but have nothing to feed them because their jobs are on hold.
Picture her family as one of these people, not knowing what social distancing means because they are hungry.
Feel her anguish, her helplessness, her frustration because help from the government has been slow or has not come at all. Listen to her gratitude that she has a job, food to eat, and a temporary home where she is needed, loved, and appreciated.
I weep and pray for all the mother Teresas in many homes today. Lord, help us to find ways to serve them in return.
"And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God." Hebrews 13:16 (NLT)
Photo credit: https://verafiles.org/articles/hunger-does-not-know-social-distancing
1 comment:
It's such a pity that incompetence and simply hard-heartedness have crippled the D. But thank God still that Mother Teresa found a refuge in your home.
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