Loving "Naomis" Through Nail Polish Posted by Ashleigh Slater on February 13, 2008

Last week we published Amanda Cate's article, "Single Mom in Need of Help." While I was hopeful it'd be an encouragement for us as women to reach out to the single moms we know, I was unprepared for the attention and response the article received. It was overwhelming! I received emails and blog comments not only from those challenged to help, but from other single moms appreciative of Amanda's honesty and courage in sharing her story.

The article also started discussion over at the blog, Boundless Line. Some of it was helpful. Some of it not so much. But at least it got people thinking. And, as I discovered this morning, the discussion of Amanda's article and the topic of helping single parents continues today over at Carolyn McCulley's blog, Radical Womanhood.

Yesterday I read a related article on Radiant. Related because it also speaks of reaching out to forgotten women. In "Naomis and Nail Polish," Christina Holder (who I'm excited to say is writing a piece for us in March) talks about the ministry her and her friends have to elderly women at a local nursing home. She compares them to Naomi in the Old Testament, sharing the power a Ruth can have on these women's lives. Christina writes:

I meet a lot of "Naomis" on those nail-painting Saturdays in the nursing home....Many of them have had to leave their homes. They have lost their husbands. Some have even outlived their children. Many don't get a lot of visitors, or have loved ones who live far away. There are even those who have lost their ability to talk and to see....

But it's quite remarkable to see what happens when we, like Ruth, choose to stay....As we talk, we give them a hand massage and paint their nails. What's most amazing is to see how the ladies respond when we are done. I've seen them stretch out their freshly slicked sets of fingers painted in shades of petunia and rose. They don't just grin, but often they laugh. It's as if at that very moment, God has restored their joy and they actually believe that their old age has not eclipsed their beauty.

While reading the article, I found myself reminded of my own grandmother who now lives in an assisted living home in the Midwest. As a sufferer of Alzheimer's, the details of who she is and who we are isn't always clear to her. But from what I've been told by my family—who live much closer than I do—even in her deteriorating state, she still appreciates the same things I do as a young woman: pretty earrings and a good piece of chocolate!

So as we discuss love this month, may we not only be reminded to reach out to single moms, but to women of all ages and seasons.