Now and Then

Fridays seem to be the most interesting day of the week. This week I was sitting at the end of the hallway beside my friend who always wears his Confederation Bridge hat. I had just gotten a large garbage bag to gather some clothes from one of the sisters that needed to be given away. The clothes, not the sister!

As we watched the hall way activity, an older almost 100 years old to be exact, little sister shuffled her way down the hallway. I think she must guide her way by seeing corners and walls as they meet the floor as she is too stooped to see directly in front of her. She wears a habit, and is beyond cute in stature and personality. She makes it to the end of the hall way, checks the time to see when her laundry will be done, and then plops onto the chair beside me to wait. (This is the same sister that will get the staff to wash clean clothes twice with her dirty items as they may as well have a whole load LOL).

So here I am, sitting in between these two delightful people. We get talking about the big garbage bag I am holding and how maybe it could be used as a disguise for Halloween. Sister can describe in detail putting soot on her face for Halloween when she was 12 but forgets who I am each day, and my other friend is trapped in another time zone in which his life details are beyond fuzzy. Yet, laughter ensues as I bridge the conversation between the two of them. Simple joy received by a choice to sit in a chair at the end of the hallway. And my day and heart is once again transformed by the gift of entering the moment. Not something I am always good at.

It does not matter that I reintroduce myself to sister each day, as she will always say something like “that is nice that you are here”. And my Confederation Bridge friend consistently lights up when I introduce him as “my friend.” Bridge building, isn’t that everyone’s call in a world where connections are so needed? Blessed am I to be in a context that invites me to bridge between people, memories, time “zones”…for everything there is a time…