Sacred Ritual
Although capable in many diverse and sophisticated ways, my older sister needs assistance with many daily tasks the rest of us conduct with ease. As a woman with quadriplegia, she needs help assembling each of her meals, for example. My mother is often the one who graciously conducts this service for her multiple times each day. She always prepares my sister’s plate first and places it on a table top that affixes to her wheelchair. Then she serves the family and prepares her own plate. When the meal is over, she puts it all away, including the special table and the wrist band that helps my sister hold her own utensil.
They have participated in this simple ritual thousands of times over the last 25 years.