Well...it has been too long...and it is time to get back at it!
I wanted to write...yet again...about the connection between my school and the Long Term Care Facility next door. It truly is amazing and the connections that we have made are so real and important and special.
I thought I would share a few of our end of year stories that make my heart smile!
Glee @ Heart had their final concert for the year. I have been a part of it all year and every Monday I have seen them sing and every time it touches my heart.
At our second last practice of the year we came together to practice a new song. The grade 6's and I came in as usual and the kids found their seats next to the seniors. Brian (the musical therapist) was trying to figure out some chords on the piano. The kids were eating lunch and chatting with each other and making conversation with the seniors. Glennis (one of the seniors with dimentia who does not usually talk or interact much) looked at the girl next to her, who was eating a yogurt, and said, "That looks good." To which the student replied "It is." Then Glennis leaned over and took the foil lid from the yogurt out of the girls lunch, which is on her lap, licks it off and then puts it back in the girls bag. The student smiled and looked at me and we shared the cute moment. I was so proud of how she handled the situation. She showed true respect and it was so sweet.
Right after that, Glennis gets up and goes to the piano. She gently pushes Brian out of the way and sits down and starts to play. This woman who has come and listened, who has barely spoken and who we have seen all year, played us beautiful music for the rest of our practice. Right when she started I heard the 6's start to comment on how good she was. After each song they clapped and cheered. At one point Glennis started playing "You are my Sunshine" and the 6's started singing along.
What a gift. There was not one complaint about not getting to sing. Only cheering and clapping after every song Glennis played and the whole walk back to school a conversation about how good she was. What a special day.
Then our final concert at the school. All the seniors came over as well as some of the staff and some family. The whole school was there to watch. And it was wonderful. The choir sang beautifully. Seeing the seniors come to life as the music starts is always such am amazing thing to witness. Rita, who spent the first part of the assembly crying becasue the noise was too much and she was a little confused, sang her heart out with a huge smile and with her arms swaying in the air the second the music began. When it was done she wanted to hug every student that walked by her and not one student turned her down. Oz is another senior who never talks during practice but sings every word to every song. He has a solo that shares with a grade 6 student Sarah and for the first time he didn't sing it with her, he just held the microphone in front of her and smiled as she sang it all by herself. It was the only time I have ever seen him smile. Truly amazing.
We also have the seniors come to read once a month. They tell us that they practice their books for a least a week before they come to share them with us. They come in and share with one or 2 classes. I love when I get to have the chance to listen. I always love to hear the stories and the commentary that goes along with it. And I am continuously amazed and proud as I watch our students...even our littlest ones...sit and patiently and respectfully listen - even when it is hard to hear, even when the seniors forget to show the pictures. What a wonderful lesson in acceptance and understanding.
One of the other many connections that our school has made with the seniors next door is to set up pen pals. I looked in to this knowing that there were seniors who had no family or friends that came to visit them. So we connected one of our grade 3 classes with a group of seniors and they began to write to each other. The connection was immediate. One of the grade 3's made a card for her pen pal that said "When I saw the name Dorris on the board I knew you were the one for me." They wrote back and forth and then in June they arranged a get together. Both the seniors and the students eagerly awaited their get together. Just before they would meet there was an exercise done at the Long Term Care Facility where the seniors were asked to write down a wish...something important they would like to do before they pass away. One of the gentlemen, who happened to be one of the pen pals, said that his wish was to give his pen pal pizza because in every letter his grade 3 friend wrote he mentioned that he liked pizza. That was this man;s dying wish. To give pizza to his new friend. So when the grade 3's went to visit they got pizza for this sweet man to give his buddy. I wish I could have been there...but just hearing the story had me crying. They read out his wish and the these two unlikely special friends shared a visit and a slice of pizza.
I can't get over all the moments. I could go on forever but I thought I would share some of my favourites. As the summer continues on, I hope to share more stories that touch my heart and make me want to continue to do all that I can to spread all the good I can and to find new ways every day to spread a little love. Who's with me?
