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Home > Liberty Tower Room 57 |
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As simple as possible
After receiving my senior apartment room key, I needed to install a bed, a dining table and book shelves. When I was living in New Jersey, before I moved in with my daughter, all other furniture’s were given away to church members who wanted them. It was because my daughter had other furniture’s so it was comfortable to live there.
My daughter and son-in law said to take any furniture’s if needed while we were moving out, but most of them were heavy and with a small space, I would not need any large furniture so I declined the offer. Besides the bookshelves I use, everything else needed to be bought. Since this place may be our couple’s final residential place, I thought it was necessary to make the furniture as minimum as possible. Therefore, I decided to buy furniture’s that were cheap, but useful. The bed was bought from IKEA, and it can be folded like a sofa (that I have to assemble), table was from Costco, and both the table and chairs are foldable. From Target, I bought two assembled shoe storage (For $9 each). That’s all I have for furniture. Few plastic shelves were borrowed from my daughter’s place to use as storage for important items. I like it simple. When someone else has to clean up all this, it would be easy and not be burdensome. Like the great teacher SukHun Ham, live simple. I feel so carefree.
While living like this, I am reminded of how I lived after the Korean War, when all my family lived in one room with nothing. After one’s life ends, there is nothing to take. As I am a pastor, I have nothing else to leave except, for books. In my last will, I already have designated someone to care of the books. There were few heavy books here and there but I didn’t worry much.
Anyone who had been admitted to this senior apartment has to pay to have dinner. It didn’t matter if you would eat dinner; the money had to be paid. There was a 5:00 o’clock group and 6:15 o’clock group. Since I had to lead bible studies, I thought it would be wise to eat early, so I chose the 5:00 o’clock group. On the first dinner, as a new family member, the manager introduced me to the existing occupants and then led us to the table. My wife and I sat on a table that was for 4. There were already 2 male persons sitting down. We greeted, but there wasn’t much to express. One person was Korean and said he had moved in several years ago. The other was a Russian, but he had no expression. He looked like he didn’t know English. Without greeting he was busy eating his meal. It was a bit odd for the first dinner. The Korean person said he is a deacon in a church. But I think he has an Alzheimer’s disease because he would keep repeating “Can you speak English?” or “Are you enjoying dinner?” and he continued that way for many days. It was odd feeling in the beginning.
After short period of time, I noticed that people, who come here often, have no communication to outside, and start to live simple life; it would become natural that it ends like this. The person sitting in-front of me does not smile; there is no expression on his face. He just eats. I think he suffers from Aphasia. The table our couple sits is the complete opposite. One never talks, and the other asks too much.
I have seen many more people come in for dinner, and some feel very intelligent. Some have matured very beautifully. But several come in with very weak physics and can barely walk. Some have loose skin, and walk with a staff or any device to help walking. When I see them barely able to make it into the diner, I can see that as my future and is shocked. Living in a room alone, one would think one thing after another, and then time passes by, children and friends would leave, and the health problem occurs more frequently so walking is even hard is what I thought. In this place alone there are about 100 rooms. Looking through the files I see there are about 10 families living as couples. Most of them are women living alone. What would happen, and who would help them if they fall in their room, or pass away?
On 3rd of March we slept in our room for the first time. It was odd feeling. It had occurred to me that this would never happen to us, but seeing that it was our first life in the senior apartment, it was shocking. I was saddened that this may be our final place to separate with me and my wife. I thought of either I pass away first or her in this apartment. I can now see the faces I saw earlier during dinner. Do I become speechless, then lose my health and live without expressions? I think this feeling of it would slowly seep into us because it may happen to us eventually.
I have told several people about our admittance to the senior apartment. Several said “well done,” or “congratulations”. One deaconess who lived in the east coast said in a sad voice “Pastor, so you have moved into a senior apartment!” She had served her church, bringing elderly from the senior apartments from and to church. She knows very well what happens if one does enter this place. I think comparing living with a big family to living in here alone, the seniority comes faster. It’s because everyone is elderly and so it influence much faster. It’s not a very exciting or fun place but rather very scary because time seems to stop here. I thought then how, can we stop this and reverse the effect from happening for a short time.
The method is, to continue meditating on His words, and to evangelize till the end. Not only the apartment members itself, but to head outside and live in happiness. I also planned out to exercise to keep our health as long as possible. During this time I was reminded of the verses from Quite Times, 1 Thessalonians chapters 4 and 5 which was titled, “Let’s live like this!” and so I made a declaration of 10 objections to be put on the refrigerator, and read it twice daily.
“Let’s live like this!”
1. Live in continued happiness
2. Live with prayers
3. Live with thankfulness
4. Live in stillness to strengthen our soul
5. Live in holiness
6. Live in sharing and caring
7. Live with meditation in His Words
8. Live in diligence
9. Live in elegance
10. Live in fruitfulness
(2011 April 13th)
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Morning and Evening, about an hour 
As simple as possible