The Joy of Ashley Court Wednesday 11/10

Today the pleasure of service moved my heart forward.  Ashley Court, where I am on a team of people who do a communion service each week, is an Alzheimer's facility here in Brighton.  Each Wednesday a gal from our parish does two services, one for buildings 1 and 2 and another for buildings 3 and 4.  The buildings house residents with the progressive disease, moving from 1-4.  Many of the folks have been there for the whole 4 years I've been going there, but many have died, or are new residents coming in.  The folks who are aware are so happy and grateful to see me whenever I come.  They have no expectations or demands, just pure joy at seeing me!  Wow! It is overwhelming that so little from me can mean so much to them.  It puts lots of other things in life in perspective.  The neatest thing is watching the non-verbal residents sing along with a familiar hymn, like Amazing Grace, or mouth the words to the Our Father.  The words they have known for so long rise up from the depths of their memories, even when they can't remember their names.  I just see GOD in this, as he comforts them with his words and his peace.