ruth and bob. some fine teachers...

“Remember the days of old; consider the years long past. 
Ask your father, and he will tell you, your elders, and they will teach you.” 
(Deuteronomy 32:7)


Yesterday Sweet Husband and I had the privilege of participating in
"Serving Knoxville As One"...a time when area church's join together
and serve the city of Knoxville...in a vast variety of ways...
some by collecting food at grocery stores for the food bank,
some by hosting a baby shower for moms-to-be at a crisis pregnancy center,
some by performing basic maintenance of single-moms' cars,
some by loving on and playing with homeless children at Water Angels
(a ministry to the homeless)...
just to give you an idea of some of the ways people were serving.


Our daughter administered some 25 volunteers at Brakebill Nursing Home,
and she had asked Sweet Husband and me
to serve there by making music with the residents.
So...we loaded up the keyboard and a couple of hymnals
(knowing how much older folks LOVE old hymns)
and we headed to Brakebill Nursing Home...
and what a grand time awaited us!!


We met Ms. Ruth...
a petite lady who requested "Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross."
During a break in singing I had the opportunity to visit with Ms. Ruth
and found her to be a gracious and gentle woman,
very well-spoken and beautifully elegant, 
in spite of the effects of arthritis and eighty-eight years.
She grew up in Massachusetts, married and had children,
and was a member of an Episcopal church.
Ten years ago her husband passed away and
three years ago her children deemed it time for her to relocate to Knoxville.
As we chatted Ms. Ruth obviously enjoyed recounting her life's pilgrimage,
which had included much grief, pain and sorrow.
There was a striking absence of bitterness and regret. 
There was, instead, a beautiful smile, a sparkle in her eyes, 
and a quick answer to each and every question I threw at her.
When I inquired as to her request of that particular hymn, 
"Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross,"
she shared a story I wasn't quite expecting...
Years ago she had an 18 year old son who drowned in a river.
The hymn's lyrics comforted her and helped her to go on
in the face of such deep sorrow...particularly the final phrase...
"'til my ransomed soul shall find rest beyond the river."
Of course, by the time she finished I was a puddle...
and, she just cupped her arthritic-drawn hand and gently touched my cheek,
as if to comfort and assure me that all was well.


We also met Mr. Bob...
once a tall man, I'm sure, though now unable to straighten himself upright.
Mr. Bob was the song-request king...always pulling out another song
from his seemingly endless mental repertoire.
He requested "Love Lifted Me," "His Eye Is On the Sparrow,"
"It Is Well With My Soul," "The Lord's Prayer," "Victory In Jesus,"...
just to name a few...I even heard some harmony every now and then!
As we were preparing to leave, I inquired of another gentleman
how long he had lived in Knoxville.  "All my life," he said.
I asked him if he knew my father-in-law...a retired policeman...
who had also grown up in Knoxville...and he said, "No."
But...Mr. Bob told my husband that he knew my father-in-law.
They were in the same class at Young High School...
and he even pointed to the back of his wheelchair
where Sweet Husband found a Young High School banner!


These are only two of the close to thirty or forty people we met
during our time at Brakebill Nursing Home...
each of them a wealth of knowledge and life experiences...
each of them a daughter or son, possibly a wife or husband,
employee or employer, musician or athlete, artist or analyst,
each of them a living being created in the image of God.


That is most likely what they hope we of the "outside world" remember...
they are people...they are an invaluable part of our society...
they are reflections of God's enduring and unfailing love...
they are living testimonies of perseverance and grace...
they have so much to offer...and they are eager to share.


Sweet Husband and I are already planning a return visit 
to sing some more songs with Mr. Bob
and to delve into Ms. Ruth's seemingly flawless memory bank.
Brakebill Nursing Home, it turns out, is one of the foremost schools on life
(as is probably each nursing home in the world!)
and among its residents some of the finest teachers.
May we be eager to learn from them!