97 Years Young

Each time we come to visit my grandparents in Kanab, we try to go and see my great grandmother who stays in an assisted living home. (An "old-folks home") She is actually not sick, or too dependent, it's just that she is dependent, and my grandparents are almost to the point of being dependent themselves. We joke that Grandma Black is going to outlive us all. She is 97, and her husband passed away 8 years ago. That must be hard, to miss your spouse, and want to reunite, but don't want to upset your posterity and be depressed and want to die. She's a trooper, that's for sure.

Today, we decided to go and pay a visit to her, and the other lovely young women who live with her in the home. My brothers and I took turns playing songs for them on the piano. They loved it. After each song, they would all clap, and say things like, oh, "isn't he wonderful?" I have recently learned an arrangement of God Speed The Right, by Aaron Waite. I wasn't planning on playing it at first, I just wanted to play some slower songs, like a few Bach songs I know, and The Luckiest, to keep it simple for them. (I didn't want to rock out Sweet Child of Mine.) While I was playing, I was inspired to play that song. (God Speed The Right, not Guns and Roses) I still don't know the whole thing, but I have down the first part. I also didn't have my music with me, so it was just off memory. As I played, the wonderful sound filled the room. Right when I finished, everyone's faces were lit up, and they were full of excitement. One of the ladies, who was sitting closest to the piano (Whom hadn't said a single word previous), smiled and said, almost like a little child that knows the answer to a question, "That's God Speed the Right." And then she said, "thank you."

We visited for a while longer, and then as we were saying goodbye to Grandma, and getting ready to leave back to my grandparents' house, the lady touched my arm, motioned for me to lean down to her, and she said, "You played wonderfully. Thank you for the music. I used to play the piano." I looked at her face, and she was full of light and peace. 

The camera used to take pictures was my grandparents', and I'm not sure where it is located right now. I'll be sure to either get the pictures up tomorrow (Monday, before we leave back home), or I'll have my grandpa email them to me.