​A sweet memory from Oct 20 2014 that I thought I would share ...
Thinking about all of the elders that I got to spend time with during my grandmother’s five-year stay in the nursing home. I can’t imagine what it’s been like for them without any visitors at all. So sad. Keep loving each other. Keep being kind. â¤ï¸â¤ï¸â¤ï¸
That day, I saw a man alone on a couch, in the front lobby of a nursing facility I have been frequenting, lying with his head on the sidearm – earlier he had been trying to push Jean, who has cerebral palsy and can’t move far alone, in her wheelchair, with his head, from his wheelchair. The song, “inchworm, inchworm” came to mind.
I asked if they would mind if I pushed Jean the rest of the way – Jean said, “yes, please!” and the man smiled a toothless ‘thank you’. I thanked him for helping and pushed Jean back to her room down the hall.
Now, this same man was alone on the couch and as I got closer, I realized he had only one leg and the one he did have was dry and full with rashes; he was scratching it incessantly. I had a lotion in my bag that seemed to soothe his itching. I even found myself putting lotion on his other side as well, a stump where a leg had been. It just seemed a natural thing to do. He doesn’t speak English but spoke to me in his home language – Vietnamese – and tears started to come gently down his face. I wiped his tears with tissues and stroked his face. He kept talking and looking at me as if I understood. I nodded and listened.
We didn't "know" each other and aren't "blood-related" and yet, in that moment, we shared a connection that went beyond blood - heart to heart. When I see him again chances are he won't remember me - but I will remember. And, every time my heart extends, it is expanding. So, who was helping who?
Thinking about all of the elders that I got to spend time with during my grandmother’s five-year stay in the nursing home. I can’t imagine what it’s been like for them without any visitors at all. So sad. Keep loving each other. Keep being kind. â¤ï¸â¤ï¸â¤ï¸
That day, I saw a man alone on a couch, in the front lobby of a nursing facility I have been frequenting, lying with his head on the sidearm – earlier he had been trying to push Jean, who has cerebral palsy and can’t move far alone, in her wheelchair, with his head, from his wheelchair. The song, “inchworm, inchworm” came to mind.
I asked if they would mind if I pushed Jean the rest of the way – Jean said, “yes, please!” and the man smiled a toothless ‘thank you’. I thanked him for helping and pushed Jean back to her room down the hall.
Now, this same man was alone on the couch and as I got closer, I realized he had only one leg and the one he did have was dry and full with rashes; he was scratching it incessantly. I had a lotion in my bag that seemed to soothe his itching. I even found myself putting lotion on his other side as well, a stump where a leg had been. It just seemed a natural thing to do. He doesn’t speak English but spoke to me in his home language – Vietnamese – and tears started to come gently down his face. I wiped his tears with tissues and stroked his face. He kept talking and looking at me as if I understood. I nodded and listened.
We didn't "know" each other and aren't "blood-related" and yet, in that moment, we shared a connection that went beyond blood - heart to heart. When I see him again chances are he won't remember me - but I will remember. And, every time my heart extends, it is expanding. So, who was helping who?
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- Posted by miatagano
- Nov 3, 2020
- Comments (4)
Readers Comments
linda wrote: Sweet reminder to be kind everywhere
Khokha wrote: This is how it works. You're so right. They need to be touched, but now often they can't. You perfectly describe what being human means and what a gift even vulnerable people can give you in return. Thank you, Miatagano!
Mish wrote: So true ...every time we extend , we enlarge 💗
mindyjourney wrote: 🙠🕊
