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When the organizers of Caregiver of the Year invited Mary Maxwell to give a brief opening invocation, they had no idea what they were getting.

The host of the event asked the audience to welcome Mary Maxwell to the stage. The short woman gave the host a quick hug and then walked up to the mic.

Maxwell began her speech by explaining that she had only just started getting a caregiver herself. Then she led the crowd into a prayer unlike any other.

At first, the prayer was pretty typical, asking God to bless the caregivers present and the food that everyone was about to eat. Then it started to get unusual.

For one second, it looked like Maxell was about to walk off the stage. But then she stopped and remembered that she had more to add.

“Oh, sorry God. As long as I have the microphone, there are a few things I forgot to mention.” – Mary Maxwell.

The crowd was already cheering enthusiastically at this. But what would come next would blow them away.

Maxwell mentioned that the two things that most people wanted to know about herself were the two things that people were too polite to ask.

So she told the group that she was getting those things out of the way: Firstly, she was 72 years old. Secondly, she weighed 145 pounds.

She then asked God to let caregivers maintain their patience and awareness of why she and so many others were “not very likable let alone lovable.” She then opened up about how she and other people don’t get given the chance to practice being old. In fact, this was the first time she’d ever been old, she revealed!

The speaker then revealed some of the surprising things that had shown her that she was getting old.

These included trying to brush away hairs that turned out to be attached to her chest, accidentally leaving her left turn signal on all day, skin growths that were large enough to name after long-gone pets/relatives and much more!

By now, everyone was in hysterics. Maxwell was opening up about the things that we all have to face as we age, in the best possible way!

Maxwell spent more time explaining the tragically comic aspects of being old. For instance, she had accidentally put on mismatched earrings, gone home to correct them and then accidentally put on the other pair of mismatched earrings.

But lastly, she finished her speech with a heartfelt thanks to the caregivers present by reciting a poem.

“Blessed are they who understand my faltering step and shaking hand […] Blessed are they who make it known I’m loved, respected and not alone” – Mary Maxwell.

And to leave her opening invocation on a high, Maxwell decided to end it with another joke. She asked God to help her find the car in the parking lot after the show.

The crowd laughed again and gave Maxwell a hearty cheer as she left the stage.

Maxwell definitely has a gift. She’s able to make light of some of the darker aspects of growing old without coming off as cruel. Instead, her jokes allow everyone to consider aging and appreciate those who help the aged.

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Source: HomeInsteadInc