I am living in a German metropolis in close neighbourhood to an old people’s home. Since my retirement as a museum teacher, I have had the opportunity to bring the elderly persons living there a little bit more colour into the often monotonous grey of their everyday life.
Simple objects from nature, such as a bunch of flowers, an oddly shaped and coloured stone or a loaf of bread are an opportunity to refer to a verse of a psalm or another passage of the Bible by thanking God for the richness and variety of his creation. I encourage the elderly to make use of the painting materials I have brought and to transfer their sensations onto paper.
Sometimes the sisters and brothers of my Fraternity help me by taking the often handicapped seniors to one of the museums in my area. Looking at the religious works of art, for example by our Dominican brother Fra Angelico – subsequently projected on the wall of the common room of their home – we can get together a sense of the abundance and the richness of colours of God himself. I am grateful to be able to share my faith in this way with elderly people in the final stages of their life through the talents given to me by God.
Translated from German
(original article by Friedlinde, Germany, Province of Teutonia)
