Something To Be Thankful For

Sunday, November 24, 2024

By: Charlotte Hendrey

In an activity that I planned a couple of weeks ago, I decorated halloween cookies with the guests. Well, while I was shopping for the ingredients, I came across a “Turkey Hat Set”. I thought, what a great idea for my next activity! So I made a call to set it up, and today I told my friends (above) at the Bellow Gardens Assisted Living center that we would be making fun Thanksgiving hats!!

César (middle) and I talked while I helped him decorate the Turkey on his hat, and he told me more about his childhood and upbringing. In a past post, I wrote about him telling me about his childhood in El Salvador. Today, I asked him how old he was when he moved here. He told me he was 19. “I was in college”, he said. While laughing, César told me about how when he moved to America, he did not speak English. “They- they tricked me into saying a bad word”, he was laughing very hard. “They told me that the f-word was a good saying, and that I should yell it in the middle of class”, at this point, I was laughing with him.

When I asked him if he got in trouble, he told me that his teacher was forgiving, and he even recalled her first and last name multiple times. I could tell that this teacher was very dear to him, and was relieved that such a kind soul like his did not face a penalty for something that wasn’t his fault.

When I asked César if he liked the hats, he said “I am having so much fun, thanks to you, baby cakes!” He calls anything that is dear to him “baby cakes”, including the cute little puppy; Coco, who belongs to the center, and his new turkey hat that we made together!

Peter (On my left in the first picture) and Donna (far right, first picture) joined us, and I told them about my Bach piano contest yesterday. I offered to play the song that I played in the Bach contest which I got third place in, and they all were excited.

In a previous blog post I wrote about how Charlie, one of the guests who was in the room, loves the composer Bach. So when I played my song, Invention 13, Charlie was so happy that he asked me to play it a second time. By the end, he was sobbing with joy. I ran over to go comfort him, and we sat together as he told me in between teary gasps “I just love Bach s-so m-much. H-he is my favorite c-composer.” I comforted him with my hand on his shoulder as he cried, telling him that I will always play Bach on the piano for him when I visit. Charlie looked up at me, and asked when I would come back again, and I smiled, reminding him that I come every weekend.

I ended up staying an extra 45 minutes because we were all having so much fun.

Later, Shelly, the events coordinator, texted me, saying

“You are so creative, darling, and clever!! Charlotte, you are rocking it at Bello. Everyone looks like they are having so much fun! That’s everything. Thank you!!”

“Charlie is so sweet and loves hearing piano music”, she reminded me over text. She then asked me if I could play piano for the other location, Greenwood. I’m so happy that music makes the guests feel so warm on the inside, and I love playing for them.

“I look forward to it!!” I said about playing piano for the guests.

“We look forward to having YOU!!!”, Shelly responded.

It feels good to be appreciated by the workers and the guests, and seeing smiles on everyone’s faces makes me excited to visit them every time. Talking with them never gets old, and our relationships grow fonder with every visit. Stepping out of my comfort zone for this experience was one of the best things I have ever done. I have never felt better about something, and what I have with them is so special. This Thanksgiving, when it is my turn to share what I am thankful for at dinner, I will know exactly what I will tell my family.