Love is All Around!

i remember sometime back at the intellectually disabled home i was volunteering at. we were going to start on a group activity of a simple walk outside the home. just about every one of the residents were raring to go as they hardly had a chance to take a glimpse of the outside world. this old lady, actually she wasn’t all that old, but she had quite a bit of difficulty walking. i could see the huge scars on her leg and her one hand gripped onto the walking stick, putting all her weight on it. i asked her a few times if she wanted to follow along with us. she didn’t answer me and her face did not reveal any emotion. a fellow resident of hers than communicated to me that it was best to bring her along and walk slowly behind. so i did so. for the whole twenty minutes or so, she gripped onto my hand tightly, as if clinging on for her dear life and hobbled along as i tried my best to bend to her height and pace my steps for her. at the moment, i felt her. i felt her determination to walk on and her plea to not let go of her.

it is just that sort of feeling that makes you feel that no, i can’t abandon them.

-marie