WAM Visits the Martha House

On Wednesday night, I had the privilege of taking 17 1st-5th graders to Tabitha’s Martha House. Our mission was to love on the Elders! We came armed with Valentine’s, songs to sing and bingo. I was a little worried about the singing part because our rehearsal had been cancelled the previous week during the snow storm. I shouldn’t have worried because the kids sounded great! Of course, even if we were off-key, we were singing to a very forgiving crowd who probably wouldn’t have judged us too harshly. I asked the three kids who were riding in my car on the way back to church if they noticed what the Elders were doing while we were singing. One said, “They were smiling!” And another said, “They were clapping along…Oh! And doing actions!” That sparked all three of their memories! “They copied me!” “After we put our hands up, they put their hands up!” “One tried to sing but then had to cough.”

I think my favorite part of bringing children to the Martha House is watching them interact with the residents. They have no fear. They don’t worry about “What will we talk about?”, “Will they like me?” or “What will we do around them?” The kids just know what to do and do it. When it was time to hand out Valentines and play Bingo, they made sure that everyone received a Valentine and had a Bingo card. They squeezed in between wheel chairs so that they could help if needed. They showed their manners and shared their bingo chips (which were candy sweethearts). And when John, an Elder who LOVED to play bingo, won the first round, they all cheered for him. Sheridan community, you should be proud of your children. Their hearts are open and they love freely. I know I am blessed just to be in their company.

Posted by Julie Anderson, Children’s Music Coordinator