One of the most beautiful places I play is a nursing home out near Madison County. It is owned and run by Mennonites. It is such a special place inside and out. The people there are so filled with genuine goodness, it feels so good to bask in their kindness. Most of the workers who tend to the residents are young and in training to serve others. Today I met a young woman for the first time and when I asked if she was new, she said that she was a CNA there but had been working in activities lately. She smiled and said, "I love it, it is a very fulfilling place to work." Wow... imagine a world where we all felt this way about our work!
I sing in a large room where they have the residents gathered in a big circle. As I sing, some of the staff and nurses come around to the people and give the women manicures or give them a snack or medicine or just hold their hand and sing with them. It really inspires me to see this. Remember that line in the movie, "As Good as it Gets" when Jack Nicholson said to his new friend, "you make me want to be a better person." That is how that place and the people there make me feel. It is a joy to sing with them and to feel uplifted by them when I leave.
The drive to and from there is welcome pilgrimage in a beautiful rural setting. The photo above is the view across the street from the home. I can still remember one summer day while driving there, I saw a young woman dressed in traditional Mennonite clothes walking briskly on the side of the road (there are no sidewalks) and singing happily aloud. With her shoes in her hands, barefoot and free from her cares, she looked to be heading home from her days work.
You can imagine how refreshing this is to see--since I live now next to a new housing development going up. All day I see the ugly sites of bulldozers and brace myself for their loud sounds.
The city continues to grow.. meanwhile it is good to know there is a place like Mountain View Nursing home. It does me good to go there.
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