Visiting Sam

         Mom and I went to a nursing home today to visit a man named Sam. Sam is 69 and is paralyzed from the neck down because he has MS. He is a sweet man. Members of the church he is affiliated with come and visit him every Sunday, and he has family members in Aztec who visit from time to time. He has been laying in the same bed in the same nursing home for seven years come June. His wife, of whom he speaks extremely lovingly, died two years ago.
       
         My mother met him a little while ago when she took come cub scouts to sing for various residents of the nursing home. She told me that Sam had been on her mind for a while, and that she wanted to go and see him, and asked if I would go with her. I agreed.

        I have spent a lot of time in nursing homes, and am not uncomfortable there. But this time, stepping into the home was different. As I entered, the residents looked at me differently than ever before. They eyed my walker, and there was a sort of compassion that radiated from them. I had never felt that before. Before, I always felt their need to talk to me, their loneliness, and in many cases, their humor and/or wisdom. I have never felt compassion from people that I am supposed to feel compassion towards. Ever. And it was a very interesting experience for me.

        Sam is a wonderful man. My mom and I only spent twenty or so minutes talking to him, but I learned a lot about him, and I felt his sweet spirit. While talking with him, I couldn't help but remember how lonely I had been my week in the hospital, and being cooped up at home for a while. And how this man has been in the same bed for six and a half years, and hasn't left. At all. And then I thought that that man must live for Sunday so that he could see and visit with and feel close to people.

        I know that many people feel uncomfortable in nursing homes. It takes time. I was about seven the first time I stepped into one. But my family began volunteering there 2-3 times a week, and within a couple of weeks, I felt completely at home there. I highly recommend visiting nursing homes regularly, and bringing children along. I guarantee that it will not only bless the lives of those you visit, but your own lives. It is not difficult to take fifteen or twenty minutes a week to visit people in a nursing home. The world can be a very lonely place, and the presence of one person can make someone's day, and have a profound impact on a life.