A PERSPECTIVE ON
WIDOWS
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CWT 4R^]^\XR ?[XVWc ^U <P]h ^U cWT FXS^fb X] ;PZT 2^d]ch (JJVYKPUN [V [OL *LUZ\Z [OLYL HYL V]LY JP[PaLUZ VM 3HRL *V\U[` V]LY [OL HNL VM ZP_[` Ă&#x201E;]L 1 Many thousands of those will, in the coming days, become widows. Unfortunately, scores of widows in our county are having a tough time. A typical widow story in Lake County sounds like this: The husband, who was the primary breadwinner, worked a job for thirty or more years and then retired. He and his wife lived well enough on his pension and Social Security, but he eventually passed away. Unfortunately, when he made his pension selection, he opted for the highest monthly payment, ^OPJO TLHUZ OPZ Z\Y]P]PUN ZWV\ZL PZ UV^ WV[LU[PHSS` MHJPUN H ]LY` [PNO[ Ă&#x201E;UHUJPHS JY\UJO :\KKLUS` [OLYL HYL UV SVUNLY Z\MĂ&#x201E;JPLU[ M\UKZ [V WH` [OL VYKPUHY` IPSSZ >OH[ ZH]PUNZ ZOL TH` OH]L OHK ILNPUZ [V ILJVTL KLWSL[LK (UK [V THRL TH[ters worse, she is at the age when health problems typically begin to arise. Stories like this happen on a regular basis in Lake County. Unfortunately, we are often unaware of the reality widows face in this situation. The widow is often alone with even her own family many times living in distant states. She may feel abandoned, bewildered, and perhaps even confused and depressed. While it is easy to dismiss the plight of our widows, the truth is that these are women who have made a contribution to societyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;often a lifetime of contribution to Lake County. They have served the community, been volunteers, donated time and money, and perhaps even mentored others along their journey of life. The question churches and other civic groups should raise is this: â&#x20AC;&#x153;How can we best serve those who, throughout the years, have meant so much to our own communities?â&#x20AC;? Photo by Wendy Bunch
6^Szb 2P[[ c^ BTaeT >da FXS^fb Every Christian has a responsibility to help the poor and underserved, and some of the most overlooked among us in Lake County are widows. Throughout his ministry, Jesus constantly reached out to the poor and proclaimed good news to them (Luke 4). James, the brother of Jesus, said the kind of faith that pleases God is one that takes care of orphans and widows in their distress (James 1:27). Surely James was taking his cues from the Lord himself, as we also should do. According to the 2010 Census, there are over 65,000 citizens of Lake County over the HNL VM ZP_[` Ă&#x201E;]L THU` VM ^OVT HYL ^PKV^Z
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