Just had to share a sweet experience I had this morning. Already throughout the day it has become somewhat diluted in my brain so I hope I can convey how sweet it really was...

One of the treats we have living in this area and belonging to the church we do is that we get to help provide church services for the people in the nursing home in our neighborhood. Today I had volunteered to help with the Relief Society service by giving the lesson and accompanying for all the hymns. It is always a touching experience. Every time I go there I find myself thinking about the lives of these people. Most of them have deteriorated mentally to where they are incapable of carrying on a coherent conversation. Still, they were once where I now am. Not many years ago they were out of their wheelchairs, walking, talking and laughing with the best of them.

What was particularly notable today was that I was asked after my lesson to sing a hymn for the men and women in attendance. I agreed readily, knowing that they would like it no matter what it sounded like and if they didn't like it, they would forget what they'd heard minutes later! I chose How Great Thou Art. I didn't have an accompanist, so I sang a cappella at the microphone. I was on verse 2 of the 4 verses when one old gentleman with a BYU hat and sweatshirt began singing the chorus with me. He sang every word with tears streaming down his face. Soon, tears were streaming down my face, too. He sang the chorus with me from then on, both of us feeling the spirit of that inspired hymn.

Afterward, I went to thank him for singing with me and realized in talking to him, that he was completely unaware of what was going on around him. His mind was deteriorated like so many others. Still, he had known the words of that song and had sung the tune right along with me.

Music is powerful. It is one of the few things that remains when all else is gone.