Her name had been given to me as somebody who could use encouragement. Someone who hadn’t seen family in long time. No visitors in a while. I walked in the nursing home room and asked for “Ms. Linda”. And there she was. Without turning around she peered out her window and quietly said, “That’s me.” She was sitting in a wheelchair with one foot propped up on the heating unit. Our eyes met and when I asked how she was doing today she explained what she was doing. Her days, made up of ten years, consist of peering out the window and dreaming. Dreaming of what she wants her days to be. Reliving old memories of childhood and teenage life when a boyfriend held her close and sang songs over her. You could tell she was in the moment as she told the story. I asked her to sing the song for me and she did. It was beautiful and you could tell it released something new inside of her. Something she hadn’t done in a long time. Singing. Funny how I had just read a blog post that morning about how singing allows us to forget who we are and brings unity among people. I really believe reading that article prompted me to ask her to sing that song. God is in everything.
Ms. Linda shared more stories with me. She talked about how both her made up dreams and reminiscing of real memories got her through her long lonely days. Longing to be outside but not able to she just imagined that she was outside. I told her it would soon be Spring and she could go outside but she didn’t seem to think “they” would take her out.
And for seven days straight I’ve had the visual of Ms. Linda parked at her window dreaming of a different life. Life on the outside so to speak. Life on the other side of the window.
I’ve been asking myself the question – How am I making the most of my life on the outside? Because my days are numbered. My ability to “go and do” will not always be the same. There will be physical and mental limitations one day. That’s not gloom and doom speaking. We love to say “Oh, don’t speak that out loud” but friends we must live in light of it. We must sense the urgency in living life for His glory right now and in the days to come. We are living many people’s dream right now and to live it without sharing God’s love and His good news is to waste this life on the other side of the window.
This is why I’m going back to share something amazing I found in scripture this week after my visit initial visit with Ms. Linda. It’s Zephaniah 3:17 and how it tells us how God is in our midst. How he will rejoice over us and quiet us with his love. That he…..wait for it…..wait for it…..He exults over us with loud singing! I cannot wait to tell Ms. Linda that she doesn’t have to rely solely on old memories of a boyfriend singing over her as if it will never happen again. Something even better is true and happening right now…..her God is singing over her loudly. He’s in her midst and bringing comfort to her with the greatest love anyone could ever give her.
The part of this story I haven’t shared yet is the resistance I put up before ever walking into that nursing home. It’s true that I knew the Holy Spirit was prompting me to go and visit someone. But I didn’t want to go. This is the reality of my flesh speaking but I didn’t want to take the time or smell the smell of the nursing home. I wanted out of there so badly that as soon as I stepped foot in the nursing home I took a call from my hubs and asked if he wanted to meet for lunch so I could escape that place. But he had other plans for lunch. And God had other plans for me.
And now I can’t.wait to get back to the nursing home this week and share what I read about God singing over us. What a sweet picture for all of us – no matter what side of the window we are living.
Praising God today for his patience with us. His love. His presence in our midst. The fact that his love for us causes him to exude over us with singing.
Praying today that we will spend our lives well living on the outside. Making the most of our time and communicating God’s love everywhere we go.
Linking with Jen and Laura today because I love their heart for God and their blogs exhibit that.
Oh, how much I love this story, Melody! We’re often most resistant to things that will bring us the most blessing. I’m glad you’re excited about going back to the nursing home now. What joy you must bring to Ms. Linda! Such loneliness abounds in many places that we can alleviate with just a simple visit while we are still “out there” able to go.
I think you’re right about the resistant things being the very things that bring about an incredible blessing in the long run.
Melody, your name, the song, God’s singing…Zephaniah 3:17 is my most favored verse. I have it as part of my sign in to WordPress, on my site, and in my heart.
How blessed Ms. Linda was and surely will be as you share time, your love and God’s love with her. My Mama was in a nursing home for 5 years plus 10 years of assisted living. I would visit her almost daily, yet there were so many who were alone. I found that my frequent visits were not just for my own mother but for many others who just needed a touch, a word, a smile…a song. May God continue to bless this ministry as you share with Ms. Linda.
Caring through Christ, ~ linda
Linda….it’s true about going to see one person but seeing the faces of so many others who just need to be loved on. Ms. Linda has a roommate too and although I’m pretty sure she had no clue what I was saying I did spend a little time with her. It’s so heartbreaking to pass by people who seem so distant and lonely. But to know God is in their midst and singing over them is such a comfort. We’ve got to tell people this truth.
Singing is a wonderful thing. It can stir emotions in you like nothing else. Ms. Linda has a true friend in you.
I agree however my singing voice is so scary that I’ve been fired from the choir. Okay, not really. But I would fire me if I joined the choir. And with a name like “melody” ya’d think I might have a little musical something something inside of me. Errrr nope. Not really. But I do sing and get down when nobody’s looking.