I never thought, in my entire life, that I’d think of “visiting a nursing home,” as the highlight of my day. I’ve come to know many of the people there, residents and staff and I can honestly say that I rarely leave without a lifted spirit and a joy that isn’t found anywhere else.
Last night, I visited my mom and on my way in and out (as usual) I stopped to speak/visit with several of the beautiful souls there. Including, (I’ll call her) “Jenny.” (Let me tell you that in the hundreds of times I’ve been there, I’ve never seen anyone come to visit “Jenny.” Not once.)
Anyway, I noticed her in the hall sitting alone, and she called to me as I passed, as she often does. I turned around and went back to chat with her. (I call her “Sunshine”) She wanted to know where I was going. 😌 I told her that I had just stopped to see my mom and she (Jenny) started to sing softly to me, smiling from ear to ear. I quickly looked around for the radio and not seeing it; I told her, “We need some music! And when I come back, we’re gonna DANCE!” She’s not able to walk, and it’s quite obvious the years haven’t been so kind to her. But, when I said that we’d dance, her eyes LIT UP with pure joy. ☀️ How I wish you could have seen them. I wish her FAMILY would have seen her face…that beautiful face.
So, that’s my story. It’s that simple. That’s where you’ll find true and unadulterated joy. Grace. In the “serving.” In the forgotten ones. I’ll never forget it. 💝