Song For My Father

 

15 years ago, I started singing at rest homes across New England. From Christmas Carols in the Winter, to Irish shows in the Spring, and everything else you could possibly think of at any time of year, just to entertain people as much as possible.

I would play enough shows to buy Christmas presents, then when it became a year round thing. I used it to help pay for the newer car I needed for the increased mileage I would drive to play. 

Seeing some of the seniors in such advanced state of decline was difficult at times, as it reminded me of where my parents were heading in life. I wasn't ready to face that quite yet, and playing these shows ended up preparing me to a certain extent. I became pretty emotional at times, and still do now and then. So much has happened in the past 15 years, but it gets easier each time I show up and do my routine. I usually know what people like, and I can present it in a way that allows them to interact if they choose to. 

When they sing along, it makes it all worthwhile.

I returned to the rest home my father stayed at when he was alive, and that was a bittersweet experience. In the end, it was a place I sang at before he became a resident, and I was resigned to the fact that I would play there after he was gone. Meanwhile. I was able to make the people still there almost as happy as my dad was when I used to sing for him. It made me very happy too, as you can see.