John Lawton

I have been meaning to post this blog for some time now, and since today I was thinking about him today, I will publish it now. This is about my friend John.

John Lawton is man that I have visited almost every Tuesday this semester. Sometimes he remembers who I am, and sometimes he doesn't, and there are sometimes where he begins like he doesn't know who I am and then later comes to the realization that he does know who I am and then asks me how I have been doing, and if i am staying out of trouble. I'll go and sit with him in his room with him, while he will tell me jokes, or stories about his life, or even just answer questions that he has about me. Sometimes if he feels up to it I'll help him into his wheelchair and we will set off for whatever activity that we have planned for the day, everything from Bingo to a Hymnsing. If you have not already gathered this, my friend John lives at "the Waters" which is a local nursing home here at Houghton, and he is 98 years old.

Spending time with John has taught me alot about what it means to serve somebody this year. I went into this nursing home visitation ministry with the idea that i wanted to be able to touch people, to reach out and love somebody in whatever way I could, but I never realized that I would walk away with so much. It was a really big step outside my comfort zone to even go to a ministry like this. I had never been to a nursing home before, no less had any idea what I would do once I was there, but i prayed about it and took a leap of faith hoping that I could be useful in some way. I was a little nervous on my way there, and then when I walked into the room that we were going to play Bingo in, I met John. John is quite a joker and so he was making everybody laugh and trying to cheat in the game and telling me a I better watch him close so he doesn't, and just a nice person to be around because he brightens up the room. As time went on I would go back to visit him, and as I said before sometimes he would remember me and sometimes not, and I would hear stories of his childhood, his family, and all about his life. He would encourage me in my goals to be a pastor someday, and remind me never to become fake, but always to be real with people, and to practice what I preach. I would watch sometimes as we would sing hymns in the activity room with the other residents, John's favorite is "The Old Rugged Cross," as he would sing completly out of tune and time with every one else, and tears would come to his eyes and I thought I pray that I can be moved like that when I am his age.

I have learned alot by being friends with John, and I hope to continue learning from him. I have been pushed out of my comfort zone by helping an old man and showing him I care, even in the simplest ways by listening to his stories and asking him questions about his life, by helping him put on his shoes and get out of bed, to getting him is glasses or even his teeth when he needs them. It has helped me realize that without taking the time to serve others and truly put our faith to work, what are we Christians for? For as James tells us "Faith without works is dead."