Gabe and Mary are dancing around the kitchen right now and Gabriel just called out, “It’s like I was born to dance!”
I took Gabriel, Mary and her little friend Isabelle to the Care Center this morning. They have a little church meeting every Wednesday for the residents there and we all take turns going. I told Gabriel is was a place for old people and he asked, “Oh, will Grandpa Fritz be there? He’s pretty old?” (Grandpa Fritz is only 70 and in perfect health.) :0)
This center is for elderly and mentally handicapped people. Most of them are wards of the state and literally never leave the building. They rarely see children and were thrilled to see the little ones. Mary, Gabe, Isabelle mouthed the words to a few songs for them and ducked their little head in shyness. The residents didn’t care. They just loved seeing their bright faces and all the promise little children bring.
I realize how blessed I am to have these bright faces around me all the time. My children are a constant wonder to me. And even though I feel house bound most days I have the pleasure of stepping outside to look at the stars or the sunset or the new snowfall. I can choose what I want to eat and when I want to sleep. Truly my blessings are too numerous to name.
I won’t kid myself that dragging Gabriel and Mary to places like this will have any lasting impact on them. The moment we drove away they were whining, “I’m hungry. She’s in my seat.” But for me, these days throw whole world back into perspective.
