Happy Times
This weekend was a pretty fun weekend. It was very busy, but very fun. On Friday Dalton had his company party at a really nice restaurant in Seattle. I was a little nervous to go because I wanted to make a good impression on the people that he worked with. But everybody was really nice and after about 15 minutes the nervousness was gone. (It helped that they had an open bar...).
On Saturday night I threw my first ever Christmas/Housewarming party. I was so excited for this, I went shopping for decorations and baked all morning and afternoon on Saturday (as well as just setting out some pre-made appetizers.) The party turned out great. We had a turn out of about 25 or so people and went through a good 8 bottles of wine and almost all the food was eaten. In my opinion, it was a success. I have always wanted to be the entertainer-- it's so fun to invite people into your house and have a party.
Yesterday I had a laid back day. I had things to do but nothing pressing--which was nice considering the past week that I had (and this week as well..). I am a volunteer for Franciscan Hospice which, for anyone who doesn't know, is a program established for people at the end their lives. More specifically, for people who have been given 6 months or less to live. The program is essentially a comfort program, they are taken off all medication except for pain relievers and such. The point is to make their last days (once the doctor has decided that there is really nothing else that can be done) as comfortable as possible. One of the things that they provide is a volunteer for each patient. The volunteer is basically just a ready-made friend for the patient. I had to go through about 50 hours of training to become this, and the rewards are incredible.
My patients name is Jim. He had a stroke a while back and has been placed in a rehabilitation center. His short-term memory is very bad and his speech is a little slurred. But other than that he is the most alive person in that center! He's always smiling and a total chatterbox! We have become quite good friends in the few months that I have been visiting with him. He calls me his "soulmate". He also told me that he means that in a completey "unsexual" way---which I thought was pretty funny! He doesn't have much in the way of family except an ex-wife that comes and visits him throughout the week. He's not sure where his kids are (although with his memory problem they could be living down the street!).
Jim loves music. To me that is very special because of my love for music. There are two things that he has no problem remembering and that is his cat "lil' darlin" and music, mainly old jazz and swing standards. He loves instrumental music---Benny Goodman and the Glenn Miller band are his favorite. He also loves Ella. When he starts talking about music his face lights up and he can remember every detail of every song. It's pretty amazing to me. He always says that music is the greatest gift that God has ever given. The problem I had is that I noticed that he has no way to listen to this music that he loves so much. That's unacceptable to me, if someone loves music as much as Jim he needs to be able to listen to it. So Dalton and I decided that we would buy him a little portable Cd/Tape player and give him some of his favorite CD's. He opened it last night and was so overwhelmed. He kept saying, "This is the most beautiful gift, I am so overwhelmed, how did you know?" Well, I knew because he told me but he can't remember that he told me. It is an unfortunate vicious circle. What was amazing to me is that as soon as Benny Goodman came on he was singing along to every note and pointing out who was playing what instrument to me, "This is Harry James on the trumpet, this is so and so on the drums". His face just lit up. As I was leaving he told me again what a wonderful friend I am to him and again that "God's most beautiful gift to us is music so you have just given me the most beautiful gift."
I cannot tell you how great that makes me feel. Here is this incredible man that society has basically forgotten about. He is so vibrant and full of life, and he still has so much to give. When I walk into that center and see all the people in there living in awful conditions (it's not the nicest place...) I just wonder if that will be me one day. All of those people at one point were children with dreams and fantasies about what they will be when they grow up. Probably most of them have been in love, maybe had some children and had a great career. Now, they sit and drool and talk to themselves most of the day. It's very disturbing to me. If everybody would try to connect with someone like Jim they would realize that people in those situations or in that stage of their lives have so much wisdom to give out, and sooo much love to give out if they're given the chance. I know that Jim thinks that I am a great friend and that he is so lucky to have someone come visit him but, not to sound cliche, he does more for me than I do for him. He makes me value my life more everytime I go and visit him (even though there are times when I really don't want to go). I feel very privledged to be such a good friend to him in the last days of his life. It's about as rewarding as it can get.
That was my weekend. Very full and exciting. It's weekend's like these that I feel so happy to be alive and very fortunate to be where I am.
On Saturday night I threw my first ever Christmas/Housewarming party. I was so excited for this, I went shopping for decorations and baked all morning and afternoon on Saturday (as well as just setting out some pre-made appetizers.) The party turned out great. We had a turn out of about 25 or so people and went through a good 8 bottles of wine and almost all the food was eaten. In my opinion, it was a success. I have always wanted to be the entertainer-- it's so fun to invite people into your house and have a party.
Yesterday I had a laid back day. I had things to do but nothing pressing--which was nice considering the past week that I had (and this week as well..). I am a volunteer for Franciscan Hospice which, for anyone who doesn't know, is a program established for people at the end their lives. More specifically, for people who have been given 6 months or less to live. The program is essentially a comfort program, they are taken off all medication except for pain relievers and such. The point is to make their last days (once the doctor has decided that there is really nothing else that can be done) as comfortable as possible. One of the things that they provide is a volunteer for each patient. The volunteer is basically just a ready-made friend for the patient. I had to go through about 50 hours of training to become this, and the rewards are incredible.
My patients name is Jim. He had a stroke a while back and has been placed in a rehabilitation center. His short-term memory is very bad and his speech is a little slurred. But other than that he is the most alive person in that center! He's always smiling and a total chatterbox! We have become quite good friends in the few months that I have been visiting with him. He calls me his "soulmate". He also told me that he means that in a completey "unsexual" way---which I thought was pretty funny! He doesn't have much in the way of family except an ex-wife that comes and visits him throughout the week. He's not sure where his kids are (although with his memory problem they could be living down the street!).
Jim loves music. To me that is very special because of my love for music. There are two things that he has no problem remembering and that is his cat "lil' darlin" and music, mainly old jazz and swing standards. He loves instrumental music---Benny Goodman and the Glenn Miller band are his favorite. He also loves Ella. When he starts talking about music his face lights up and he can remember every detail of every song. It's pretty amazing to me. He always says that music is the greatest gift that God has ever given. The problem I had is that I noticed that he has no way to listen to this music that he loves so much. That's unacceptable to me, if someone loves music as much as Jim he needs to be able to listen to it. So Dalton and I decided that we would buy him a little portable Cd/Tape player and give him some of his favorite CD's. He opened it last night and was so overwhelmed. He kept saying, "This is the most beautiful gift, I am so overwhelmed, how did you know?" Well, I knew because he told me but he can't remember that he told me. It is an unfortunate vicious circle. What was amazing to me is that as soon as Benny Goodman came on he was singing along to every note and pointing out who was playing what instrument to me, "This is Harry James on the trumpet, this is so and so on the drums". His face just lit up. As I was leaving he told me again what a wonderful friend I am to him and again that "God's most beautiful gift to us is music so you have just given me the most beautiful gift."
I cannot tell you how great that makes me feel. Here is this incredible man that society has basically forgotten about. He is so vibrant and full of life, and he still has so much to give. When I walk into that center and see all the people in there living in awful conditions (it's not the nicest place...) I just wonder if that will be me one day. All of those people at one point were children with dreams and fantasies about what they will be when they grow up. Probably most of them have been in love, maybe had some children and had a great career. Now, they sit and drool and talk to themselves most of the day. It's very disturbing to me. If everybody would try to connect with someone like Jim they would realize that people in those situations or in that stage of their lives have so much wisdom to give out, and sooo much love to give out if they're given the chance. I know that Jim thinks that I am a great friend and that he is so lucky to have someone come visit him but, not to sound cliche, he does more for me than I do for him. He makes me value my life more everytime I go and visit him (even though there are times when I really don't want to go). I feel very privledged to be such a good friend to him in the last days of his life. It's about as rewarding as it can get.
That was my weekend. Very full and exciting. It's weekend's like these that I feel so happy to be alive and very fortunate to be where I am.
posted by Jenny at
10:36 AM
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