I Wanna Hold Your Hand

Today was my volunteer gig at the assisted-living residence for the elderly.  And, truth be told, it was GLORIOUS from the moment I walked into the place until the moment I walked out.

It's my time spent with the Alzheimer's residents that moved me most today.  I spent most of it simply taking two of the residents, RICHARD and...damn, I can't remember the female's name...well, anyway, I simply grabbed them by the hand and walked them around the residence a HUNDRED times or more!  Okay, so maybe not a hundred times, but quite a few times.  As we walked, I hummed.  They always respond well to music.  The woman actually hummed with me.  And sometimes spoke as if she was singing lyrics.  I truly, truly loved this exchange today.  I love how the residents just take my hand the moment I extend it to them.  Doesn't matter if they're sitting in their wheelchairs, on a sofa or walking.  The moment I extend my hand, they grab it.  I'm a tactile person from birth, so holding their hands as I walk with them or while I'm talking to them is instinctive to me.

None of us know what the future holds in regard to our mental state, so, let it be known that I HOPE and PRAY that I ALWAYS have my "right frame of mind."  Or...if I don't...I can afford to live in an assisted-living residence where there's at least ONE volunteer who will HAPPILY hold my hand.