Maria Garcia has been described as “a happy lady with a sweet and easy laugh.” She also suffers from dementia and cannot remember things very well. However, when Garcia awakens each morning, she walks into the living room and asks one of her caregivers a routine question: “Is my mother up yet?”
Garcia’s mother, Rosario Schielzeth, continues to be Garcia’s primary caregiver and companion. The remarkable thing about this is that Garcia is 86-years-old, and her mother is 104! This mother and daughter have rarely been apart during their lives. In fact, they have spent over 60 years living together in the same house. Since when Garcia’s health began to fail, her mother has always been there to help her.
Schielzeth reads the newspaper each morning and seeks to keep her daughter’s mind active by keeping her updated on current events. She also reminds Garcia of what day it is, if she has eaten and the whereabouts of their dog, Frankie.
“She lovingly reminds her, which is a difficult thing, I would imagine at 104, to have patience over and over again,” said Carol Festari, one of Garcia’s 24-hour caregivers.
Sprinkled throughout their Sarasota, FL home are some stunning paintings done through the years by the talented Garcia. One of her paintings hangs over her mother’s bed. It is of two people sitting together in the countryside, near some serene water, having a picnic lunch on a beautiful day. The two people in the painting are a mother and daughter, a tribute, no doubt, to the lasting love that is being lived out each day between the painter and her mother.
Their love also reminds us of the love of the Creator for His creation. It was because of His love that God created mankind, and a world that was perfectly suited to sustain man’s life. However, man “messed up” God’s perfect creation by disobeying God’s will (Genesis 3).
We all have followed suit: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), but God still loves us and cares for us! He loves us so much that He gave His Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins so that we might be forgiven of our sins and receive the gift of eternal life (John 3:16; Ephesians 1:7).
God will save those who place their faith and trust in Him (Acts 16:30-31), turn from their sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10) and are baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of their sins (Acts 2:38).
His Word (the Bible) is a “constant reminder” of His provision for man. It is the cross of Christ that stands as the emblem of God’s unending love for His creation (1 John 4:9-10). He has assured us of His continued care and eternal life, if we will just accept His offer of salvation on His terms.
