Featuring a guest post today, written by my sister Sonetta. ----------------- The other posts on this blog describe my grandmother, a gentle and loving lady, and her inclination to stay silent about the treatment received at the hands of Son 2 and DIL 2. Even though my father, mother, sister, and I speak up for her, …
Category: Responsibility
Washing of The Feet: A Lesson in Service
"I'm not your servant!" retorted my daughter once, when asked to complete a chore. She was about five at the time. I responded, "That's right, you're not, and neither am I yours. But we both have to serve each other." Why? Turning towards the picture of Jesus in our living room, I asked her to think …
Asking for Help To Save A Life
My grandmother Mercy's pitiful plight and the continued indifference of her two younger children, compelled my parents to look for assistance outside the family. In March 2017, they contacted two leading elder care non-profit organisations in Mumbai with her story, requesting help with transporting her to a hospital for a long-delayed review. However, they were turned down. Both organisations said they …
Mercy in Neglect: An Eyewitness Account
Last week, my parents and sister went to Mumbai for a few days. They visited my grandmother Mercy twice. She was hospitalised earlier this year with back trouble, and has largely been bedridden ever since. All we had till this point was her saying that it was terrible back pain; she was unaware of the …
Preyers vs. Pray-ers: When Counsellors Hold Double Standards
What type of person does the term 'counsellor' conjure up in your mind? For me, it's someone: empathetic - who can relate to the many problems people face; kind - who genuinely desires to help heal brokenness; peaceable - who aims to resolve conflicts swiftly; wise - more than the average person, in order to guide people through …
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Caring for Widows: The Christian Approach
How should a society treat its widows? The ideal answer to this is, the way it treats every other human being. But we know that for most widows, reality has fallen brutally short of this ideal. Through the ages, and in too many cultures, widows have generally been a vulnerable and often savagely exploited group. The question …
The Way to Peace
After grumbling her way through some chores one day, my seven-year-old daughter sat down in a huff and wished for peace. Then she jumped onto the subject of world peace and asked me why it didn't exist. As I looked at her, thinking of a way to explain so she'd understand, inspiration struck. What's the world made …
Elder Abandonment: Who Left Mercy?
As long as my mother resided in Mumbai and quietly took care of my grandmother, her siblings and their spouses were content. But her relocation to Abu Dhabi in 2006, which necessitated them having to actively participate in their mother's care, became a point of contention. Some family members have termed mom's leaving Mumbai, as "abandoning her mother". In this …
Why Mercy Couldn’t Live in the UAE
After Mercy moved to the US with Son 1 in February 2006, hostilities by DIL 1 necessitated her leaving to stay with Son 2. He then accompanied her to India in January 2008 to attend my wedding. However, as he hadn't booked her a return ticket, she came to stay with my parents in Abu …
Elderly Parents: Whose Responsibility Are They? Part 2
Continued from Part 1 My grandparents made their inaugural visit to their sons' homes in the US in 2001. They left with great excitement, eager to see this land of dreams for themselves. They returned a few months later, shattered by the unkindness shown by both daughters-in-law. My grandfather, not a man to exaggerate, stated he'd …
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Justice for Mercy 