When an elderly lady didn’t show up for three consecutive days in a restaurant she went to daily, her waitress immediately thought there was something wrong.
Sonia Congrave, the waitress who alerted the police said that Doreen Mann, an 87-year-old woman came in on weekends for lunch and a glass of wine. The two women, who were decades apart in age, formed a warm bond that is common among restaurant patrons and employees. Mann’s life was saved by this friendship.
One day, Mann didn’t show up and it made Congrave a bit worried. But she surmised that the old woman had just a visitor or had some important errands to go to. The waitress said, “When she didn’t come in for a day or two, we realized something was wrong.” And when Mann did not show up on the weekend, that prompted Congrave to call the police.
When police responded and came to Mann’s house, she was in her bathtub. What’s more surprising was that she was there for a total of four days! Mann said she just wanted to have a relaxing bath. But when it was time to get out of the tub, she couldn’t move her legs. Although she tried to shift around, she wasn’t strong enough to get out of the bath.
Mann said that she filled the tub with warm water or kept herself covered with a towel to keep warm. She also didn’t have food in her bathroom so she resulted in drinking from the tap so that she can continuously be hydrated.
Mann’s knees were bruised from her numerous attempts to get out of the tub when the rescuers found her. Mann endured a dreadful ordeal but managed to keep her sanity while imprisoned. “I went to turn over onto my knees to get out of the bath, but I couldn’t. My body wouldn’t turn over. I don’t understand how calm I kept. It wasn’t natural,” she said.
It’s unclear how Mann’s situation would have turned out if it hadn’t been for Congrave. When the waitress heard of the news, she was relieved. She added that it would be nice if people just asked people how they were doing and to be nice to our neighbors. Congrave stated that she intended to visit Mann on a regular basis to assist her in and out of the bathtub. She also purchased a cell phone for Mann in case of any future emergencies.
Nowadays, it is really easy to not care about other people and just go about and mind our own business. But Jesus teaches us to go against the flow of these such mindsets. He commands us to love our neighbors. And to emphasize the importance of doing this, Jesus equates it to loving God.
Galatians 6:10 exhorts us that as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Find a way to serve others and how you can help them to the best of your abilities. It doesn’t have to be grand. Like the story above, a simple gesture of care may very well save someone’s life.