I have felt a bit melancholic the whole day, been thinking about life and faith, prayed for a man in need of prayer…
My neighbour Jaska sat on the stairs yesterday when I came from the city. He was a bit shrunken and skinny. I sat down beside him and asked how life goes. “It’s over now” he said and looked at me with sad eyes. “I’ve got cancer, about 3-6 months left to live, there is nothing the doctors can do”.
When the curtains were closed it was a signal that Jaska was drunk. This happened quite often. When he was sober he was helpful and funny. One winter he helped me with the snow and I thanked him. He said: “poor riders” and laughed. With Jaska we spoke Finnish and Swedish and he often joked about things when we met outside.
Now we sat on the stairs. He looked at me with tired eyes. We talked about life and I asked him if he is interested in questions related to faith. “No no, I pay church taxes, that is enough”, he said. I told him about my own faith and felt that it was really hard to reach him on that level. He got very quiet and look straight in front of him. Before I left I said that I would pray for him. “I hope it helps!” he said and looked kindly at me.
God, have mercy on a poor rider like Jaska. A man that has been hurt in the battles of life. And have mercy on me that feels that my words are not enough.
Maria