Monday, April 5, 2010

visit to the senior home.

this school quarter i had to make a very difficult decision: take a class i wasn't very interested in or skip volunteering at bingo for 10 weeks. i haven't really missed bingo in the 2 years i've been doing it except for a couple of times when i was traveling. when i have had to miss it, i have massive guilt issues and it really throws me off because i've made it a part of my weekly routine. unfortunately i decided i had to take a class that made sense and give up bingo for the quarter. my seniors took it just fine - 1 even pinched my cheek and told me good luck with school.

due to the massive amounts of guilt and need for some quality time with my elderly friends, i decided to still go once a week for a visit. i had good friday off so i brought in sugar free marshmellow eggs for easter for them. i walked in and found one of my buds joe reading one of the books i brought in for them. that made me really happy. we had a nice chat and then i went off to see francis who was also reading one of the books i brought! i thought this one was a tad racy but she said she loved it. then i went to see peggy for a quick minute and it made me happy that she recognized who i was and was happy to see me. lastly i visited with lee. lee has told me about his family issues in the past. he abandoned his first wife and their children to be with another woman and he recently found god and wants to reconnect with his sons. he has so much guilt and it's hard to hear him talk about the pain he has with this issue. he told me he received a letter from one of his sons that day and expressed how happy it made him. then he cried because he's not in touch with his other son. then i cried. i want so badly to comfort them and to make their lives happier. but all i can really do is what i have been doing. visiting, bringing treats, books and so on. they help bring light into my life and i hope i do the same for them. even just a little bit, to take away the disappointment, the frustrations and the inconveniences of their lives is all i want for them.

visiting makes me realize how lucky i am to have my health, freedom, independence and privacy. i'm going back for round 2 this thursday with more racy novels in hand.

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