Barbara

Last week I was able to talk to an amazing woman.
My friends and I went to Legacy House to visit with the people and sing. There are a few people we especially like to see. One of these is Barbara, and incredible 80 year old lady.

We walked in and asked if we could just come talk with her. She was so happy to have company and people around. I was so touched in the half hour we spent with her. Barbara is so full of wisdom and even spunk for her old age! She asked us all about ourselves and we were able to find out about her life and family. She was constantly telling us how life can be if we make it good, to take advantages of opportunities, to not do anything we will regret later. This sweet lady shared so many memories and things that are important to her.

It was so sad to hear her tell how old people are "put on a shelf". To see tears in her eyes as she felt so loved that someone would stop by for just a few minutes to talk to her. When we asked if we could be her adopted grandkids, it was almost too much for her! She could hardly believe that we wanted to keep coming back to see her. Before we left we sang a few hymns. Back in the day she directed choirs and music was her thing. It was evident how much love was in that room as we sang "I am a Child of God" to a sweet 80 year old lady and she struggled to remember the words.

That retirement home is full of people like that. The world is full of people like that. It's easy just ignore any one elses loneliness, to just think about our problems. But by simply acknowledging another human being, by taking 2 minutes to say hi to them, it can make a world of difference. I don't think we ever truly know how much one life can be touched by our words or actions.