This summer was one of those unexpected silver linings.
Obviously, many can relate to the hardships felt by the pandemic, and for me, that was having to come home from college halfway through my second semester. When I got home, I immediately started looking for jobs to fill my time. I started working at Target, but I just did not feel any fulfillment working there.
I felt purposeless, and so I began looking for a job at the place where it was needed the most: nursing homes. I heard on the news how bad nursing homes were hit with the virus, and I just thought to myself, "What better way to make a difference than to give my assistance to the most vulnerable." As a pre-medicine student, I have always wanted a career in healthcare, and I thought it would be a great opportunity to gain experience.
And so it began, a job that would turn my dark, dreary days into days full of light. As I spent time working and training as a personal care aide in the Personal Care Facility at Brethren Village, I began to notice the devastating effects of the virus taking a toll on the mental and physical health of my residents. It has been months since they have felt the touch of their loved ones, and my heart hurt and still hurts for them. All I wanted to do was to take their pain away.
Because outside visitors are strictly prohibited from entering the building, there haven’t been any activities for the residents to look forward to. I figured it couldn’t hurt if I brought in my guitar one day to play for them.
And so I did. I played and played. We sang John Denver’s Take Me Home Country Roads about four times during the hour I played, and each time my heart grew bigger and bigger for those beautiful souls.
I felt like God was using my gifts in very special ways, especially when my charge nurse asked me to sing for a resident who was actively passing away. I had my guitar with me, and for the final hour of this resident’s life, I was able to play my guitar and sing praises to God. I was alone in this room with someone who was about to be taken home to God, and I was given the honor to worship our awesome and mighty Savior for the life he had blessed this resident with. I held her hand and prayed through my music.
That day at work made me realize what a gift it was to have the joyful opportunity of caring for others. Even though I came into this summer full of fear of the unknown, I am ending it full of gratitude for the amazing experiences I was able to have working at a nursing home in the middle of a pandemic.