Molly’s Arthritis

Last Sunday at the church, we were all moved by the beautiful sermon Suzanne preached. I'm sure I was. So, without diminishing the overall effect of the words broken from the pulpit, I’d love here to speak about a part of it which brought the whole sermon together for me. I was touched by the simple but deeply rich parable she shared about Molly(?). Remember Molly’s Arthritis? Amazing how some of these simple stories of live drive home the whole message. Here’s the story:

Molly (a little old lady) was making her usual visit to her local post office one afternoon. Unfortunately, there was a long queue of customers waiting to do business that day. Wanting to be helpful, someone pointed Molly’s attention to the stamp machine, since her reason for waiting in that long line was presumably just in order to get some stamps. “Thank you, but no,” said Molly, and as if she wanted to pass a polite joke Molly added what is actually a profound reality: “the machine will not ask me about my arthritis.”

What a powerful story this is! Got me thinking about my first ‘encounter’ with arthritis. Growing up, I remember my mother’s swollen knees and ankles, the pain in her face as she laboured to walk in slowed steps and often with a limp. Though my young mind couldn’t quite grasp it all, I felt her pain. Somehow, I also foolishly felt a different kind of pain-disappointment if you like from living through the arthritis experience with my mother.

My grouse came from times when my mother would ask that I massaged her swollen knees and ankles with a local ointment meant to sooth pains. Of course, my young limbs were never idle. For me, such requests always meant a disrupted soccer game, or times away from my favorite television shows and so on.

How like a child I was! Is it not true that mama could have applied the ointment herself if she so wanted? Could there have been more reasons as to why she asked her many children-ten of us in all- to take turns at different times massaging her arthritic knees and ankles? Indeed it may have been more about the joy of human touch and relationship. “Sigh.” What a beautiful community we’ll make together when/where we recognize that the most effective of stamp machines will never ask Molly about her arthritis?

Whose “ARTHRITIS"” might you need to ask about or give a loving touch today?