This week, an unexpected letter arrived at the doorstep of the Buckner Support Center. Amid a typical day of hustle and bustle, its kind words penetrated the noise barriers of busyness.

You see, the note came from the daughter of a Buckner senior living community member. Its sentiments expressed gratitude for Buckner Senior Care Assistance, which has provided the funds necessary for her 94-year-old mother to remain in her home, though she had exhausted her personal funds.

“For months I have been worried and praying, wondering what I was going to do for my mother’s care when her funds were depleted," she wrote. "I knew I could not afford to keep her in the senior living community that has been her home since September 2014. Your kindness and generosity have made it possible for my mother to stay in the home she so dearly loves.”

It’s hard not to feel a deep sense of humility upon reading something like that — to know this good deed is nothing of your own individual doing, but a result of the time and resources of so many. We know ultimately, it is the work of a good father, who calls us to “serve one another, as good stewards of his varied grace” (1 Peter 4:10). 

“With mother’s dementia, a move of any kind would have been totally disruptive and very unsettling for her," the daughter continued. "My prayers have indeed been answered!”

At Buckner, we firmly believe no prayer is too big or too small for the God of the universe. And what a privilege it is to play a modest role in his work here on earth. This year, the Buckner Senior Care Assistance program expects to contribute $750,000 toward the care of residents who find themselves in situations just like this one.

Why do we do this? Because this is what it means to be the hands and feet of Jesus and to honor seniors. That is the heart of Buckner Retirement Services, blessing seniors who spent a lifetime of blessing others. As her heartfelt letter ended, the daughter echoed that sentiment.

“I will be forever grateful, and I will never forget the blessing that has been bestowed upon my mother and me.”