Okay, wow. This afternoon I went back to volunteering. (read previous post).
When I stopped volunteering 7 months ago, there was a lady who I will call Maggie. That I had befriended and talked to a lot and she was in hosptial and they didn't think that she would make it. Long story short, 7 months later she is still very much alive and though not as strong, her mind is as sharp as anything.
I was walking down her hallway, just seeing who was still there and who was new and such like and at a distacne I could see the entrance to her room. Now, beside each room there is a box that the perosn living in that room can put pictures in. And (from a distance) I thought that the pictures looked a lot like hers. So I quickened my steps. The feeling that came over me as I stood at her door and saw the firmiliar pictures that I had been told some of the stories behind and her name emblazoned on the card below was a feeling that I don't know if I have ever felt. I was so happy. All of me just simply said "She's still alive!" I knocked on the door and went in. Maggie was reading. She looked up and said. "OH I haven't seen you in ages!" "Kathleen, right?" I went to her sitting in her chair and I almost started crying. This lady who had been through so much and almost died in the last months, remembered who I was and not only who I was, but she remembered my NAME!! I was shocked, amazed and as I said before, I almost started crying. We proceeded to have an half hour long conversation. She remembered that I was homeschooled and a variety of other things that you would not expect someone her age and someone who had been so sick to remember.
I love volunteering there. There are so many people, from all different backgrounds that all have fascinating stories to share. Don't under estimate elderly people. In many ways they are much more intelligent than teens. They have a lot of wisdom to share. And all they want in their old age is a friendly person to talk to and share their lives with. Don't be scared of them. They are people just like us and more.
Oh and dont' forget to smile. They LOVE teens and apparently by all comments to me and staff they love (at least mine) our smiles too. :-)
-Kathleen
1 comment:
Yeah that would be amazing to see someone you thought passed on. Its cool that you are able to talk and be with old people. I cant do that...like its easy for you to say "dont be scared of them" but its hard for me not to be...i was like born that way..well not really just I have been affriad of them since I was 5. LONG LONG STORY.
But yeah thats pretty cool.
-Mal<3*
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