“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel” (Maya Angelou). For my service project I volunteered at Miracles Hill Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. The lady that coordinates the activities at Miracle Hills is Patricia Walker. Mrs. Walker introduced me two women by the names of Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Bryant these women were an enjoyment to be around. Each time I visited Miracle Hills I would always stop by their rooms and gossip with them. Every time they saw my face they would just smile and tell me over and over how excited they were to see me. Mrs. Jones wasn’t able to walk and I never was able to see her out of bed but Mrs. Bryant was able to walk some but was mainly tied to a wheelchair. Both women had shared with me that they had children but they rarely came to visit them. Leaving them after each visit was so hard they would want me to stay longer with them because I was the only visitors they had. My second visit was so hard, when I made it out to my car I cried. I wondered how someone could but their parent in a nursing home could and never visit them.
Every treasure I brought them they cherished and would thank me. It truly did melt my heart seeing their smiles, something as simple as have a visit to come and talk to them made their day. Mrs. Jones would always reminisce to me about her past, I didn’t mine at all in fact I enjoyed hearing about her past. Mrs. Rebecca Jones was a school teacher for the fifth grade in Thomasville Georgia. She loved children and helping them further their education. She retired from teaching and her and husband moved to Tallahassee, when she was 78 her husband passed away. With his passing her health slowly but surely declined to where she had to be put into a nursing home. While Mrs. Bryant never really wanted to talk about her pass, I know she had one son who was still alive and one that was deceased, she was also a school teacher to. Since Mrs. Bryant was in a wheelchair she could go outside her room and participate in activities so I spent more time with Mrs. Jones who was unable to leave her bed. Yesterday I brought them both Christmas gifts and they were so happy and grateful for them.
I know volunteering was a part of my service project but I know I will continue to visit them. I didn’t expect to get so attached to them but I have I know that each time I go there it makes their day a thousand times better and I won’t lie it makes mine a lot better too. This experience has taught me that it doesn’t hurt to take a little bit of time out of your day to make someone happy and it just might make you happy like it did me. Also something as simple as visiting someone can go a long way. I hope that each visit with Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Bryant had meant as much to them as it has for me.
