This past Sunday, I left our house to return to St. Anne’s to give our receptionist her lunch break. Upon stepping outside, I saw that rain was POURING down; the ground was covered and water was actually standing on the grass and stepping stones that stand between our house and the main building. I went back inside and got my OLD shoes on to make my way through the downpour.
I noticed the atmosphere around me inside was a bit dreary as well – what a wet, dismal day! I know we needed the rain, but it did put a little damper on things. I decided it would be nice, to cheer and liven things up, to have a little sing-along with our residents in our activity room. After giving the lunch break and having my own dinner, I invited our residents to join in singing some hymns and old folk-songs. I played piano/keyboard and they sang “Amazing Grace,” “In the Garden,” I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” and other favorites.
We had an enjoyable time, which brightened the dreary atmosphere. After about 45 minutes of playing, I thought it was time to quit. Afterwords, I felt like the fingers in my left hand had had a good workout and had done significant calisthenics; I am not used to playing for that length of time!