Opinion

An elder invited to a community meal receives food, but that may not be the most important gift on the table. The gathering can also say something that people need to hear at every age: You are still part of us. We want you here.

The Northern Plains Independent recently reported that a Wolf Point Community Organization elders’ meal was well attended and that the organization’s powwow committee provided catering. It is encouraging to see a community make room for people whose years and experiences are too often overlooked.

A meal becomes more meaningful when younger people take the time to listen. Someone who has raised a family, worked through difficult seasons, or watched a town change holds memories that cannot be downloaded or replaced. Those memories are not always easy to share. They require a willing listener.

Jesus taught his followers to treat others with honor and care. He challenged the tendency to reserve the best attention for people who seem powerful or useful. In his example of hospitality in Luke 14, he urged people to welcome guests without calculating what they might receive in return.

That teaching belongs alongside everyday community traditions. Honoring elders is not accomplished by a single event, even a joyful one. It continues with the ride to an appointment, a patient visit, an invitation to speak, and a willingness to hear a familiar story more than once.

We should also resist treating older people as though they have only a past. They still have questions, hopes, preferences and gifts to offer right now.

A good community does more than remember the people who helped build it. It makes room for them at today’s table and includes them in tomorrow’s plans.

The richest meal may be one where everybody leaves knowing that a life still matters.