Friday, October 22, 2010

Lessons from the Edge

Not everyone grows out of childish tendencies.

It's true. Not all the lessons I'm learning at Edgewood are upbeat and encouraging. In fact, this week I've come across a couple of lessons which have made me sad.
Tuesday we had a great guy come in to provide musical entertainment. As we sat and listened - clapping our hands and tapping our toes - one of the residents added several rhythmic "yee-ha" and "hee-hee" choruses. He makes these sounds frequently when there's music and he's having a good time. And, honestly, I love to hear it.
But Tuesday, another of the residents called me over and adamantly asked me to go tell "F" to be quiet. She said his 'noise' was really bothering her, and she pointed out another resident who seemed to be upset with the addition to the songs, as well.
I told the complainer that I would not ask F to stop. I reminded her that he was enjoying himself, and was simply expressing his joy. It has always been my belief that you should never tell a singing person to stop singing.
I really did think that would be the end of it. I thought the complainer would understand my position and would be reasonable enough to block out F, and just enjoy the rest of the show. But the pout on her face made me wonder if enjoyment was still on her list of possible choices.
I hope it was.
Because I think it would be sad to let childish tendencies ruin a perfectly delightful afternoon.

And, just because F and his "yee-ha" and "hee-hee" make me so happy, I'm going to share a rendition of one of his favorite songs here. He always requests this song when someone comes to play for us. And it always makes me smile to listen to F singing along.

Karen

3 comments:

Leah Adams said...

This post makes me ponder how often I have quenched the joy of another person simply because they were not acting the way I thought they should act. Certainly something to ponder, isn't it?

I hope you have a wonderful weekend, Karen.

Leah

luvmy4sons said...

I bet you are such a wonderful blessing at work! I used to work in a nursing home when I first became an RN. I love the elderly people. Thanks for this song.

I hope you are finding balance in your life with work and home. I am visiting my bloggy friends and my used to be faithful readers. I miss hearing about all of your lives and gaining insights into mine with your comments on my blog. Still not released to go back to blogging yet. Learning many lessons of my own on trust and letting go and walking out faith in the moment to moment challenges of each day.

Love ya sister. Blessings!

Karen Hossink said...

Leah - Yes. It is!
I don't want to steal another person's joy. But I know I have before. Praying God is making me more gracious every day.

Leslie - Still searching for that balance.
I miss you, tons! But I think of you often - particularly as I have more 'teen' moments with my son. I will forever be grateful for your friendship, perspective, and wisdom.
And I look forward to the day when God leads you back to blogging. ((hugs!))