Adopt-A-Grandparent

Today is my LAST day of classes... 5 finals and I'm done with sophomore year... 2 years and I'll have my Microbiology Bachelor's degree. Dang, time really does fly by, huh? This semester has been the best yet - I've become good friends with some truly amazing girls and have learned so much about me, about life, and about my Savior. I'm SO blessed to go to BYU - yes I don't absolutely love it and I still have a heard time fitting in, but this semester I decided to try something different and spend my extra time volunteering at the nursing home here in Provo instead of wallowing in self pity in the corner. (I promise I don't actually do that!)
Like I've said in previous posts, never in my life have I felt as lonely as I have here at college. I still can't pinpoint the reason why but it's a thorn in my side that causes a constant dull pain. I thought about how pathetic this is - I'm a beautiful, smart twenty year old girl, why on earth am I lonely?!? And then the image was put in my head of all the abandoned grandparents at the nursing home that feel the exact same way as I do. I knew in that moment that I needed to go volunteer at a nursing home, so I joined the Adopt-A-Grandparent program at BYU and a week later I started to volunteer at Provo Rehab and Nursing center. I was put in charge of the Wednesday Movie Night that they had each week and I would go to each patient in their rooms, offer them a bag of popcorn and invite them to watch the movie with us in the Dining Hall. Truthfully, I liked it a lot better than just having one grandparent to visit because I made friend with EVERYONE and I loved seeing everyone's progress throughout the semester. Wednesday night quickly became my favorite night of the week, hands down!
Last week, Dallas was hit with some terrible tornadoes that caused horrible damage and hurt many people. When I went to the nursing home, numerous patients asked me if my family was o.k. because they had seen the tornadoes on the news. I can't even tell you how much that meant to me, that these sweet people had remembered that I was from Dallas and was actually concerned about my family. As college kids, we are tightly wrapped up in our academic lives, but when my dear elderly friends showed their selflessness and concern for my family, it touched the deepest part of my heart and brought tears to my eyes.

This is my last week going to the nursing home before I go back to Dallas for the summer. I am SO SAD to go and not see these wonderful people each week. I've promised a few of them that I would write to them over the summer and hopefully see them again in the fall when I return for my junior year. I'm so grateful for the opportunity I had to serve these wonderful people this semester. I want to be like these people - kind, warm, selfless and eager to show my love to others. Some of the patients were only there for rehab and will be gone when I come back, but the mark they have left on my heart will never fade away. When you serve others, your problems become so small and stupid. Honestly, when you focus on other people, you forget about yourself and there is where you will find your true self. I encourage everyone to find some small way to serve someone else each day, even if it's just a smile or a hug. You never know who's heart you will touch.