Weekend Wrap up - Magical Moments

Last Friday my senior chorus, The Choralaires, performed at The Cottages, an assisted living facility for alzheimer and dementia patients. These residents are, for the most part, pretty out of it. If you look into their eyes, they're vacant. No one home anymore. It breaks my heart. Kris Kristoffersen wrote a beautiful song called "Hello in There" that speaks of this.

Sitting in the front row, I was about three or four feet from a man with empty eyes. As we sang, he stared into space, his oxygen tank hissing, his right arm partially raised--why, I don't know.
We sang eight or nine songs, saving "Que Sera Sera" for last. When I glanced in his direction, I saw his lips mouthing the correct words to the song. With tears streaming down my cheeks, I sang for him. It was a magical moment. There is something about music that reaches those whose minds have gone somewhere else. Something that allows us to remember words to songs when we don't remember our own names or our familiy members names or where we lived or what we did.

My community service work is bringing music to those who can no longer get out to hear it. It doesn't matter if I forget the words, or don't sing completely on pitch for each and every note. That man mouthing along is what it's all about. Touching someone's heart, even if they can't let me know in the normal ways, that they've been touched. What a blessing and an honor it is to be able to do that. Here's to more magical moments in all our lives.

Karen

P.S. I was contacted by the following website and this is the result - Some of you will be surprised to find your names and books mentioned as well.

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