During my last facility visit I met a woman named Ruth. Born in 1913, Ruth came across as rather cantankerous at first, but as our conversation continued, Ruth warmed and took me on a journey of days gone by.
Ruth couldn't remember what she had for breakfast that day or if she takes medications on a regular basis, but the mist over her memory lifted as she recalled her childhood with clarity. Ruth took me back to the 1920's. I could hear the smooth rhythms of the band play as she spoke of the dances in her farming community. I felt the salt on my skin as she regaled me with stories of swimming with her friends in the Great Salt Lake, and the dirt under my fingernails as she described the labor and joy of digging sugar beets with her father.
I will remember that day with great fondness as I sat and talked with Ruth about her early years. There were no complaints made that day, just a reminder that there are valuable sources of history living among us.
To the reader of this blog, I challenge you to take an afternoon and visit with an elderly person. Through their story you might just find you are swept away to a different place and time.
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