Ida's Attic
Stories
Lectionary Tales For The Pulpit
Series II Cycle A
What drew people to Ida was her cheerfulness. She was always happy and always had something nice to say to everyone she met. Children felt comfortable talking with the "nice lady" at church. Young adults looked up to Ida as an example, often going out of their way to do something extra special for her.
Ida was young at heart. That was how some of the people at church described her. Her advancing years were beginning to catch up with her, slowing her down. Ida has lived alone ever since her husband died almost five years ago.
The family had been discussing the possibility of Ida going to live in a retirement community. Ida was an independent woman who tried her best to convince her family that she was perfectly all right living in her home. After all, she told them, her house had been her home for nearly sixty years. After much debate and protesting it was decided that Ida would go to live in the retirement home. She would have people to look after her around the clock, her daughter told her. Ida did not want to hear that but knew it was no use arguing.
Perhaps deep down she knew her daughter was probably right and she would be better off living in a retirement community instead of by herself.
Some of the women from her church volunteered to help clean her house in preparation for a public sale some six weeks away. Ida welcomed their help. In those last weeks in her own home Ida had many decisions to make. What should she take with her, and what should she give away to her family? She remembered one of her granddaughters always admired one of her rings, while one of her grandsons wanted the railroad spike her husband proudly talked about every time the grandchildren came to visit. Then there were the items to try to sell. There were some things that would need to be thrown away.
While cleaning out her house Ida found marvelous things she had not seen or thought of for many years. She found so many wonderful things, old postcards and pictures, mementos of her long life and the many places she and her husband had visited. Finding such treasures slowed down the process as Ida would call the women and tell a story about the object she found. "That picture was taken in 1943 when we visited my oldest brother in New York," Ida explained. Another picture showed Ida and her husband standing in an orange grove. "Years ago when we went to Florida one winter we met the nicest man who owned an orange grove," she told the women. "He let us pick our own oranges and sent us some oranges for Christmas." Some afternoons very little work was accomplished, but no one seemed to mind.
The women helping Ida saw a side of her they had never seen before as she openly began talking about her life. The women did not know about all her struggles. They saw a happy, friendly woman who always had nice things to say. In the weeks of cleaning Ida's house she never once said, "I wish I had done something else with my life." Ida had no regrets even though her life was filled with plenty of ups and downs. When asked about her faith she would say, "I put my trust in God and will not concern myself with what might have been!"
Ida was young at heart. That was how some of the people at church described her. Her advancing years were beginning to catch up with her, slowing her down. Ida has lived alone ever since her husband died almost five years ago.
The family had been discussing the possibility of Ida going to live in a retirement community. Ida was an independent woman who tried her best to convince her family that she was perfectly all right living in her home. After all, she told them, her house had been her home for nearly sixty years. After much debate and protesting it was decided that Ida would go to live in the retirement home. She would have people to look after her around the clock, her daughter told her. Ida did not want to hear that but knew it was no use arguing.
Perhaps deep down she knew her daughter was probably right and she would be better off living in a retirement community instead of by herself.
Some of the women from her church volunteered to help clean her house in preparation for a public sale some six weeks away. Ida welcomed their help. In those last weeks in her own home Ida had many decisions to make. What should she take with her, and what should she give away to her family? She remembered one of her granddaughters always admired one of her rings, while one of her grandsons wanted the railroad spike her husband proudly talked about every time the grandchildren came to visit. Then there were the items to try to sell. There were some things that would need to be thrown away.
While cleaning out her house Ida found marvelous things she had not seen or thought of for many years. She found so many wonderful things, old postcards and pictures, mementos of her long life and the many places she and her husband had visited. Finding such treasures slowed down the process as Ida would call the women and tell a story about the object she found. "That picture was taken in 1943 when we visited my oldest brother in New York," Ida explained. Another picture showed Ida and her husband standing in an orange grove. "Years ago when we went to Florida one winter we met the nicest man who owned an orange grove," she told the women. "He let us pick our own oranges and sent us some oranges for Christmas." Some afternoons very little work was accomplished, but no one seemed to mind.
The women helping Ida saw a side of her they had never seen before as she openly began talking about her life. The women did not know about all her struggles. They saw a happy, friendly woman who always had nice things to say. In the weeks of cleaning Ida's house she never once said, "I wish I had done something else with my life." Ida had no regrets even though her life was filled with plenty of ups and downs. When asked about her faith she would say, "I put my trust in God and will not concern myself with what might have been!"
