Walking into a room seeing a lady basically skin and bones is enough to break your heart. Finding out she fell 8 days ago leaving her bruised and with a big cut on her forehead is even more heart breaking. Earlier that morning I had asked the Lord to give me His eyes and He absolutely did. As I held this ladies hand almost to tears at the fact that she can't walk ever again I began to think. What would I do if I could never walk? How would I feel if all I could do was lay in bed? The conversation continues and I get more and more lost in this woman's words. I only can understand every fifth word or so. Not only do I know limited spanish, she is very soft spoken so I struggle to understand what she is saying. Surrounding her bed is a teddy bear, two tin containers, and an aroma of urine. I cringe at thought of how her heart must feel being in only one room the rest of her life. She is the most precious 90 year old I have ever seen. It brings a smile to my face thinking of how much she enjoys to talk and how she just wants someone to listen.
She insisted that we painted our nails. So I sat there and painted my nails as she watched in awe. The joy that filled her from the small task of me painting my nails was precious. She started to moan and hold her back. I had no idea what to do because I didn't understand what exactly she wanted me to do. She grabbed my hand and as I began to massage her back she was yelling. I was freaking out because I couldn't tell if she wanted me to stop or not. She frantically searched for something in a box on her bed. She handed me a tiny box with a bottle in it. Not only do I not really understand what was in the box, I can hardly read it. I opened it and smelled it. The powerful mint scent cleaned out my nostrils. I stuck my finger in the vasoline like ointment and again was massaging her back. She began to almost pur with comfort. The nurse came in with a pair of socks and handed them to the lady. The woman asked me to change her socks. As I began removing her socks I just felt the tenderness of her heart flow through her bones.
My head is racing with thoughts. Am I really impacting this lady? In what ways can I better serve her?
Her name is Francisca and her heart is HUGE. Not only did she bring a smile to my face, she brought a smile to my heart. Spending a couple of hours with her at the nursing home was so dear to me.
