” Remember, Dad, a week from today is Marcel’s birthday.” He responded affirmatively so I asked, ” What will you get him?” He chuckled and answered that a mere $25 would not do much. I inwardly agreed and then suggested a birthday poem. He agreed, so a poetry lesson began.
“Roses and red, violets are blue,” I began.
“That’s not really a birthday poem, ” he argued, but we wrote it anyway. We used the dry-erase board to brainstorm. His ideas included mountains and a reminder that Jesus carried him through the years.
However, poetry was not the only focus of the day. ” I want you to write a song for the poems I created, ” he announced.
“Are you kidding?” I asked. ” As a reminder, my last name is not Bach or Handel.”
He looked at me in a stubborn way. “You are my daughter and that’s all that matters,” was his firm answer.
This Saturday’s visit also included stories about his dog in the Netherlands, reminders of his parents, and ended with a homework assignment. My assignment? He wants me to create a card for my brother’s upcoming birthday and compose a song based on one of his many poems. I am secretly hoping that he forgets the song assignment and will work on the card.
But poetry was not the only lesson learned that day. Watching the aide take care of him in the bathroom, observing other nursing aides feeding the patients, and chatting with the front desk receptionist provided a different type of lesson for me. It was the lesson of compassion. It reminded me of the constant need to remember those less fortunate than myself. It’s a lesson for all. Perhaps if more people would visit nursing homes, we would become kinder and gentler. What a different world it would be!
A Journey Worth Remembering 