nursing home conundrums

so there i was sitting at my computer when i received a fairly humbling email.

but you need the background info before i start on my tirade. 

one of my best friends in the entire world is my granny who lives in lubbock. granny has alzheimers but is the happiest and sweetest most divinely proper woman i've ever known. i rarely get to see her because lubbock is so far away and i travel alot. but i think about her often and love her dearly. though granny doesn't remember much, she always remembers my music. she loves listening to the tapes that my granddad herbie has made her from my cds. i always thought about how awesome it would be if someone would visit her and just sing to her. she loves when people sing to her. 

then i took that thought a step further, hmm... i bet there are plenty of sweet old ladies here in austin who might enjoy a song or two. and then in church one day i heard a verse from james that says something along the lines of pure and undefiled worship being this: visiting orphans and widows in their time of need. and, since i'm a worship leader, this was an extremely challenging verse/thought.

all this to say, i started calling around some assisted livings and nursing homes in austin to see about singing there once ever so often. i struck out alot but then i found a place that wanted me to come and sing for an hour during "special music time" at the nursing home.

it was perfect. these people were so endearing. some were bitter and mean, but most were pleasant and reminded me of granny. i was able to live vicariously through loving these people. it satisfied my desire to love on granny when i can't because i live so far away.

then two things happened that are hilarious now, but at the time very humbling.

i got an email from the guy in charge of the nursing home booking, if you will, and he fired me. yep, i got fired from a voluntary nursing home singing gig. honestly, who has been fired from a nursing home? i haven't heard of such a thing. it wounded the good ol' pride, but then i figured it was good for me. but ouch. fired from volunteer nursing home singing. say goodbye to "singing the hits and hymns with lindsey" afternoon once a month. it was over. i was sad. when i asked why, why was i cut from the roster, so to speak, they answered me with this ironic statement: "The residents couldn't hear you." i don't know if that makes anyone else smirk or not, but i found it hilarious that i got fired because they couldn't hear me. did i mention that i brought an amp and microphone? i had amplification, yet i still could not be heard. thus, i was told they wouldn't be needing me anymore. double ouch. my question though: if they can't hear me, who can they hear? oh well. suffice it to say that maybe if i looked really sweet like the red head in the photo above, i might not have been kicked off the island. 

and then two weeks later, i was asked to sing at another nursing home in town, and on the day of that event, i called them to make sure everything was in order and they said, "Oh sorry, we forgot to tell you but we won't be needing you today. We double booked with Larry the piano puppet guy. We'll call you."

they never called. really? really? i got knocked out by piano puppet man? 

thrice ouch. larry, i wish you the best of luck.

gee wiz, good thing i've got other gigs that keep me afloat, otherwise i would be toast. so i've basically struck out of most opportunities to love on the elderly through my singing abilities. but, lo and behold, there is one assisted living place in austin that i get to sing at once a month. and it's definitely one of the highlights of my month. these people are so adorable and cute, and last week, they actually applauded as i walked in the cafeteria. i think i'm making head way. 

if you're reading this, you should totally just go visit a nursing home/assisted living place close to you. just go in and talk to people or better yet, listen to them. they're inspiring and fascinating people who have lived real lives. 

the following blog was sponsored by AARP copyright 2008.

just kidding.