July 18. WE CELEBRATE MANDELA DAY TODAY.  WHAT WILL YOU DO?          One to be expected aspect of life for grandparents and is the death of a spouse. Around this time of the year Maud felt herself getting anxious.   It was three years now since her husband had died and while she confessed to a belief in the resurrection of the dead, she still felt his loss with her on earth around the time of the anniversary of his death.  Of her two daughters one was more matter-of-fact and took the attitude “get over it, mom” while the other was more gentle and would send her an sms or call just to let her know she was thinking of her and also missed her dad.  Reflect, share, scripture: Your dead shall live, their bodies shall rise.  O dwellers in the dust, awake and sing for joy! Is 26:19.  Pope Francis: From 2024 Message to grandparents and the elderly.   In many older persons we can observe the sense of resignation described in the Book of Ruth, which tells the story of the elderly Naomi who, after the death of her husband and children, encourages her two daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth, to return to their native towns and their homes (cf. Ruth 1:8). Naomi – like many elderly people today – is afraid of remaining alone, yet she cannot imagine anything different. As a widow, she knows that she is of little value in the eyes of society; she sees herself as a burden for those two young woman who, unlike herself, have their whole lives before them. For this reason, she considers it best to step aside, and so she tells her young daughters-in-law to leave her and to build a future in other places (cf. Ruth 1:11-13). Her words reflect the rigid social and religious conventions of her day, which apparently seal her own fate. ACTION AND PRAYER.   Reflect on this common reality.