The Homestead.

Growing old is a bittersweet thing. Your hair turns gray, you forget things, but the memories that do stay with you are cherished things.

Today I went to The Homestead. A cozy little old folks home. The first stop was June's room. It was the first time I have ever seen her, but I could tell that as soon as I walked in with two of my roommates that her day just got brighter. She saw the guitar and ukulele we brought, and immediately asked us to sing for her. When we were done, she would ask us to sing one more time again and again. When the singing was done, we asked her about the old picture above her chair. In the picture was a beautiful young woman with a huge smile on her face, standing next to two horses. As June explained the picture of her horse Chauno, she seemed to recreate this memory in her mind with such clarity when she had lost so many others. Every now and then, while talking about her horses, she would drift off. Then, realize that she had to finish her story and would reluctantly come back to the present time. "The time I had with him wasn't nearly enough", she said as she thought about her cherished friend. She daydreamed out loud about giving him a big hug when she takes her journey to heaven. Before we left, she made sure that we sang one last song. We each gave her a tender embrace and left with a smile on our faces.

The next stop was Zeruah. She shared the story of a particular day she remembered from high school. They all gathered in the gym, and brought in a radio for everyone to hear President Roosevelt declare war. She talked about paying 25 cents at the movie theater to watch the newsreel. That was the only way they could get caught up on the war. She talked about living in the Great Depression, and waking up from nightmares about not being able to get food stamps. That was the only way to get food, and she was scared. No wonder that was one of her few memories. She too, made us sing and sing. With a big smile on her face, she reached out for a hug before we left.

Now, sitting in front of an open door feeling the cold night breeze against my skin, I think about my own memories. About the memories that I will make, and the memories I will try my hardest to remember when I grow old, like Zeruah and June.