For four years, I attended a high school located right beside an army base. Everyday I would drive past men and women walking down the sidewalk fully dressed in camouflage uniform. Though I'm not a very religious person, whenever I would see one of these men or women, I would pray to God. Nothing too long, just 60 seconds or so of, "Please protect them. Please bring them home. Please keep them safe."
Praying once a day was/is not enough to show my deep appreciation for these gallant heros.
To me, visiting the Veteran's home was a small and humble "thank you" for those who have served.
The volunteer work we were assigned was light-hearted. We helped with a weekly round of bingo and assisted with transporting seniors to their residences. Though most of the men and women experienced visual or auditory handicaps, there was no question that each one was chockfull of sagacity and knowledge.
I spent a lot of time interacting with a woman named Shirley. I was informed at the beginning of Bingo that Shirley could not speak, but sometimes tried to articulate using hand gestures.
At first, Shirley was completely non-expressive. She did not smile or show much interest at all in the game. Frankly, she seemed pretty unaware their was a world around her. I wondered if Shirley had developed a hearing impairment.
Towards the end of the game, however, I made one last effort to talk to her. I asked if she had any children, and for the first time, she made eye contact with me. She looked at me and SMILED. IT WAS AWESOME. She then took my hand and a tear slid down her face. I honestly thought I was going to start crying as well. In those few moments, Shirley showed me a glimpse into her life.
There is a cheesy but pertinent quote by Maya Angelou that says, "Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away." I was lucky enough to experience one of those moments that day in the Veteran's home.
I'm not sure if I will ever be able to express how thankful I am to the men and women who have served (or currently serve) our country, but I do feel that the Veteran's Home is not a bad place to start.
