Well, Lord, the day has come. In many ways I dreaded leaving my home, my security. And now I have to give up some of my privacy and life with other old people.

Help me even now to accept these people as I find them--boring at times, stimulating, and excessively talkative. Help me remember that all these strange people are loved by you. Deliver me from being snappy at meals with people who are cranky -- they may be in pain. If someone wants to confide a problem, help me listen. And may I reach out to those when I feel the urge to strike out.

As I leave my home, give me a sense of call, even as you called old Abraham and Sarah when they left their home on a new journey of faith. If I can love my neighbor there, then I have a mission. Amen.