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Little steps towards bigger goal
Published: 6 March 2009
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Last 28th February, 2009, PLC Women officers and members went to San Pedro, Laguna, to visit "Mary Mother of Mercy, Home for the Elderly and the Abandoned." This is the first project of PLC-Women for 2009. The visit was to give "LOVE","HOPE" and "INSPIRATION to the elders who were abandoned by their own families. We, PLC-Women feel, "Nothing is more painful than the abandonment by your own loved ones." The Home for the Elderly was two hours drive from Metro Manila and it was run by a kind-hearted lady doctor and four missionaries Burmese nuns from St. Francis Xavier Congregation from Myanmar. It was a home for sixteen women elders and five men elders. When we arrived there, we saw the elders were all seated and waiting for us in the hall and they gave us a warm welcome with hugs and embraces. Their welcome really touches our hearts and we felt our efforts were highly rewarded. We distributed our gifts of tooth pastes, soaps, noodles and biscuits personally to each of them. They thanked and blessed us. We also prepared fruit salad and fed them ourselves. Then it was bonding time for PLC-Women and the Elders. The Elders poured out their heart breaking stories. One story was an elder widow woman, distributed her wealth among her three children, thinking they will take in turn caring for her in her old age. But her dreams of living happily with her children were shattered when her children after getting their inheritances turned their back on her. Nothing was more painful for a mother to have ungrateful children. Since nobody was in her home to take care of her, her kind neighbours brought her to "Mary, Mother of Mercy, Home for the Elderly and the Abandoned." Another heart broken story of a blind elderly widower was when his wife died, his children abandoned him and since he had no one to take care of his daily needs, he was brought to the Elders Home by his relatives. The other stories were also quite similar to them. What we noticed was the Elders without children accepted themselves being in the Elderly Home but those who were abandoned by their own children were hard up in accepting themselves being in the Elderly Home. They said they do not belong here and wanted to go back to their own homes. They cannot accept the reality that they were already abandoned by their children and their families. For the sorrowful elders, PLC-Women consoled them telling them to forget their past, live happily today and thank the Lord that they still have people who care for them and were provided with essential needs such as food, clothing and shelter. PLC-Women lent their shoulders to cry on and there was bonding between them. For that day, PLC-Women were the daughters not only to the abandoned Elders but also to Elders who never had any children. We fed them lunch, helped them in their bath, changed their clothes, listened to their stories and also read them stories. It was a new experience for us to share our un-conditional love with total strangers but nevertheless we were able to build a strong tie between us and we were very happy and contented with our accomplishment. When the time came for us to go back to Manila, some elders cried and told us to come back soon and visit them again. We said "YES" and it is "A PROMISE" we will keep. It was the first "LITTLE STEP" we took, but we know we are on our way to "BIGGER GOAL." Marlar H. Sabado
President,UNI-PLC Women's Committee |
