Soul Food

I met her Sunday night. I had hardly expected the evening to go as it did. Bertha welcomed us into her one bedroom apartment that was shared with her daughter. Her story touched my heart and reminded me of a world much bigger than my own life.

Wrinkles embraced her dark face giving her the look of a much older woman. Her right ear had been disfigured from what appeared to come from a cut lobe. With small hands she handed us three red cups of water as we entered her home. We were here to offer food and companionship for an hour of her night. As she spoke my heart felt her pain, saw her longing, and ached to fix her problems.

Bertha had recently been widowed after an accident to her husband's leg which began to swell and continued to worsen. During this same time her son had begun to abuse her, bruising the left side of her face and injuring her back. Unable to stop the continual abuse, Bertha and her husband called the police and sent their son to jail. She was told that to keep him there she'd have to pay. With the little money she has she continues to pay the price.

Still left with a pain in his swollen leg, Bertha's husband prolonged treatment. Afraid of hospitals that would "leave him to die," they waited for it to heal naturally. Finally able to convince him to go in, she was later met with the news that he had died in the hospital. His fears had come true.

With a son in jail and the passing of her husband, her life had changed dramatically in a short time. As we listened, Bertha spoke of the hospital's unwillingness to tell her the reason for his death. Papers had been turned in, signed and completed but an answer was still being refused. Six weeks later she still has not been told the cause of death.

With no family in the area, Bertha struggles to take care of her daughter, keep her son from hurting her and obtain her husband's death certificate. As we concluded the evening we worked out a few ideas to help and will be contacting Bertha during the week. Unfortunately, the solution to her problems couldn't be solved overnight. However, I am committed to seeing her story through and using any gifts I have to be there for her.

It's stories like Bertha's that urge me to do more with my life then just sit around worrying about my own problems. I can't imagine the pain that she goes to bed with nightly. The thoughts that go through her head as she daily tries to cope with the events of these past few months. As I continue on in my search for a career helping others, I am constantly reminded of the need for people to come alongside those who are suffering.

I am so thankful that I was able to spend time with Bertha. She is beautiful and strong and I am blessed to have met her.