Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound

I know I told you about the nursing home where there are many new residents.  So many of my favorite people there passed on this past winter and spring. I thought it would be lonesome without them but I am quickly making new friends with the new folks there. One of them is Audrey who reached for my hand when she saw me approaching with my guitar last night. I was asking how she was doing and she asked me to sing a song for her and before she could finish telling me which song, she began to cry. I said, "that's ok if you are sad, I feel that way too sometimes. There there now, I will sing you a song...." and since I know she is a religious woman who sang in her church choir, I chose to sing, "Amazing Grace."

This is perhaps one of the most requested songs I get and it is easy to see why it is such a comfort to hear.   As I sang the words to Audrey, she continued to cry and she nodded her head in agreement during this verse:

"Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come.
T'was Grace that brought us safe thus far
and Grace will lead me home"

When I was finished singing, I went and got Audrey a tissue and she seemed to draw strength from the song and stop crying.   When someone is sad, I don't rush in to cheer them up... at first I let them feel their sorrow and then slowly I work to lift them up.  To do this, I next sang, "You are my Sunshine" and Audrey smiled.  After that I asked her if she liked dogs. She brightened up and told me all about her favorite dog and laughed with telling me his funny antics. Then I sang, "How much is that Doggie in the window?" and again she smiled and laughed.

I have noticed that most people love  animals and if I can get them to talk about their beloved pets, this almost always brings a big change in their mood. You probably remember the story I told where I did this same thing with another sad man and got him talking about his dog. It works most of the time.

Later Audrey was thanking me for my music and saying something about that she hoped it was as good for me as it was for them. I told her it did help me a great deal.  It works both ways. As I am able to bring peace, comfort, joy to others... they in turn help me feel those things too.