Thinking back

Everyone once in a while something or some one will catch my eye and make my mind instantly go back to a time gone by.

Today two of those moments happened - both while I was visiting the VA with Kona - both in the same room.  We visited two different gentlemen in a particular ward, both were elderly, and both quite frail. The first one caught my eye because he was wearing a pageboy hat.  My Dad quite often wore a hat like this and I loved how it looked on him. 

Seeing the gentleman in the hat brought a smile to my face because of course he reminded me of my Dad but mostly because he was enjoying the visit with the dogs SO much. It was really cool....

The second person I saw did not remind me of my Dad, but rather the first hospice patient I ever visited on a very regular basis.  It was several years ago, but that man, Mr. W. still holds a special place in my heart.  We spent many hours visiting together, and I got to know some of his favorite things....one of which was graham crackers and peanut butter. He didn't like the kind that were packaged from the store, but rather preferred when I brought them fresh from home for him. I would bring them often and he would relish every bite. 

 

Today, in the same room with the gentleman in the pageboy hat, another gentleman was eating graham crackers with peanut butter that someone had brought him from home. He was talking about how much better they were than the store-bought kind. It made me think of how much I enjoyed the time I had with that special gentleman several years ago, and how deeply he touched my heart.  Sometime people may only be in our lives for a short time, but the impression they leave lasts a lifetime.  That's how it was with Mr. W.

 

Below is a photo from one of the first times I ever took Kona in to visit my Dad in the hospital. I hadn't seen my Dad smile like that in a long time. Whenever I have doubts about if I should stick with the Love on a Leash stuff I do, I think of moments like this. The smiles of the people we visit, including my Dad, last a lifetime in my heart. That's why I keep going back.