This afternoon, our priest and another friend and I went on two home communion visits. These are for folks who can't come to church for health reasons, or can make it only occasionally. It's important for them to know they are still connected to the wider community. Our first visit was to a woman and her son. I'll call them Jane and Sam. Sam has some kind of mental condition--retardation, perhaps--which causes him to speak out when he wants or just laugh spontaneously. He's such a delight. So is Jane.
At one point we were talking about age. Doug, our priest, asked Jane about her next birthday. She reported her age, which is way older than I'd have thought. Doug then turned to Sam and asked how old he was. Sam said, "I have no idea!" And we all had a good laugh.
I've been thinking since what a delightful comment that was, and a delightful way to live. Sam is completely unaware of age and the stigmas of getting older. Granted, Sam doesn't have a job or a bank account or drive a car. He is completely dependent on his mother for those things.
But as he sat there listening to his jazz music, stretched out smiling in a recliner, enjoying the company, Sam was simply in the moment. Age? "I have no idea!"
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