Picture by Josephine Wall

* * *

I wrote this prior to recently becoming a volunteer
where I visit an elderly person in their home
and spend a few hours with them each week.
A couple of months after this was written
I was matched up with an 83 year old lady named Merle who I have been visiting every Friday
for the past month. I find my volunteer work so very rewarding and I hope to do more in the future.This was written purely from my imagination.

* * *

I tried to step inside her shoes
And walk around for awhile
Her eyes seemed sad and distant
And her face contained no smile

She looked so lost and lonely
In desperate need of a friend
Had her heart been broken
And would it ever mend?

I sat quietly down beside her
And I greeted her with a smile
I thought I'd keep her company
And stay for just awhile

We talked about so many things
About her life in days gone by
As she searched inside her memory
I saw a tear escape her eye

Her face began to change
As she opened up to me
Her tales were so uplifting
She seemed so alive and free

We talked for what seemed hours
For much longer than awhile
But it was worth every single minute
To see the joy within her smile

* * *

"Love is the greatest of all cures -
not least for loneliness
Finding a cause or purpose beyond
ourselves gives us a vital sense
that life is worth living -
Whatever our personal circumstances,
and whether or not we have
someone to come home to"