Prayer Is The Answer

Do you know this woman? Those who do know her would tell you that you would love her. Nurses and caregivers at the senior home where she lives reportedly fight over who gets to take care of her. She is Lucia DeClerck.

The name still not ringing any bells? Well Lucia contracted Covid on January 25th of this year. January 25 just happened to be her 105th birthday. But the best part of this story is that she recovered!

What is her secret to health? Her answer may surprise you. According to Lucia her secret to having a long life is prayer and eating raisins soaked in gin. She says, “You put them in a jar and keep them for nine days. After nine days, eat nine a day. It tastes like candy.” Maybe she prays as she eats them.

Others who know her will tell you her very positive attitude has a whole lot to do with her longevity. Apparently everyone who comes into the nursing center where she lives enjoys her company. “Anytime we have visitors in the building, they all stop by her room,” says the administrator of the care facility.

We think she must be one heck of a lady. It says a lot that people are still anxious to take care of her, visit her (and maybe grab a handful of her raisins), and we would dare say be the object of one of her prayers. What an inspiration to all who know her and even those who have never met her to read about such a lovely woman who is so full of life…a life well lived.

Lucia is the oldest person known in the U.S. to recover from Covid. But she is NOT the oldest person worldwide. That distinction goes to a 117 year old French nun, who also recovered from Covid in January.

It is not a stretch to see that the link between these women is prayer. If you are not a person of prayer yourself, perhaps today is a good day to start. Prayer, after all, is really just conversation with God. Just be sure that you don’t do all the talking. Take some time to listen as well. Take some time, as God tells us in the scriptures, to “Be still and know that I am God.”

Today we would like to give a blessing to all our chums. May you be abundantly blessed with very rich lives full of love, joy and prayer….and maybe some gin soaked raisins too 🙂

XO,