Precious Memory

by Kay Heitsch

Many years ago I worked in a Memory Care Center. I found it amazing to see how the residents would come alive when they heard a song from their past.

Today's quote, "I love hearing old songs I used to love. They are like memories you can always go back to." brought this story to my mind.

Every day I would walked with a lady in a wheelchair singing some old songs from the past. Many of the songs were hymns. Soon there were several residents and very often their family members walking and singing too. Diane, one of the girls who worked at the Memory Care Center called us, "The Holy Rollers" because several of these precious people were being walked in wheelchairs.

One evening when I was about to leave Naomi, one of the residents, ask if we could sing one more song before I left.

Seeing the group in the family room, Naomi had an idea. "Why don't we get in a big circle and hold hands and sing." "Why not!" I chuckled. We gathering the wheelchair people in the circle, and the rest who could stand, took their hands. Naomi suggested we sing, "Jesus Loves Me".

I thought I was going to cry as I saw the look of peace and joy on each residents face as they sang, "Jesus Loves Me" swinging there arms to the tune.

Most of these people had no short term memory left, but they still had the 'precious memory' that Jesus loved them and remembered every word of the song, "Jesus Loves Me."