Oh Mary Don't You Weep: Miracles can happen - sometimes

Jerel Shaw

Of course when one hears the familiar words "Oh Mary Don't You Weep" many will associate it with a Biblical rendition of a sister (along with her other sister) who just lost a brother (Lazarus).  Mary was overcome by grief when Jesus arrived to visit. Yet, to make a long story short, her grief was turned into joy when Jesus miraculously raised Lazarus from the grave.  Yet, this story is not about that Mary, but a Mary who I became acquainted with when shopping at a local supermarket (national chain).  Her smile, and bubbly personality when serving the customer was always buoyed by her fantastic customer service.

Mary is a senior citizen who still has to work for a living, but she has never complained (not to me) about needing to do what is necessary to maintain a roof over her head, food on the table, and to pay the other bills.  If you can identify, it's never seems to be enough, but a little can go a long ways..

Recently, when shopping at this store, Mary had (if you will) a weeping spirit.  She was somewhat concerned about her employer's seemingly insensitivity to her needs.  Her hours had been drastically cut and, according to Mary, their attitude was that she can take it or leave it.

Let me briefly reflect on the reality that (too) many who have put in years of worthy service and dedication to an employer receive little respect. Too often, people are easily discarded based on soulless capital/profit gain concerns or simply, they are prejudice - they are displaced by a younger person; or displaced by someone who family knows the manager/owner; or displaced for no reason at all except of meanness and antipathy.  I presage that it is the latter.  Mary was being processed out of a workplace because someone has failed to see her worth anymore.  This unfairness happens to a lot of people, but we are speaking from the context of a senior citizen who is working beyond their prime, and happens to be 72 years of age.  And, for the record, Mary (Like so many other seniors) probably could never see retiring.

So here we are again, showing another prolific example that could easily be construed as age discrimination.  Like Mary, many seniors need an intervention.  Not that this national grocery chain is not associated with a union; but what good is the union if  you can't pay the $10 weekly dues?  Yet the most egregious act this writer observed when listening to Mary's story is that those in the organizational chart who were responsible for caring about their 'number one asset' (employees) had turned a deaf ear.

I advised Mary as much as I could, but my empathy for her situation was great - I've seen many others who can share similar stories.  When leaving and heading through the front lobby, I was confounded to see a regular sign of recruitment that had the words "great career and advancement".  I was angry still because this appeared to be a lie - maybe not for some, but for surely for people like Mary.

Not until our society awakes to the crisis that is evading the welfare of seniors throughout America, many of out love ones will prematurely depart from this earth, or live the remainder of their lives as a ward of the state.  We need interventions, like policies that can arrest situations like this as many nonprofits; government agencies' and for-profits are failing senior citizens at the most delicate times of their lives - and at an alarming rte.

Don't have an updated status report on Mary, but I'm praying for her strength, and a divine intervention. Empowering seniors can help empower the hope and dreams of younger people and buttress their expectations for living in a society that cares when needed, and cares for the duration of their lives.