I spent time with some elders during my grandmother's five-year stay in the nursing home. I knew what it was like for them without any 1 .So sad. They just kept loving each other and being kind.
One day, I saw a man2 on a couch in the hall who was frequently lying with his head on the sidearm. Earlier he had been trying to push Jean, who couldn't 3 far alone in her wheelchair, with his head, from his wheelchair. Obviously, it was quite difficult for him and it was also a 4 for Jean.
I asked if they would like me to push Jean. Jean said with 5, "Yes, please!" and the man smiled a toothless "thank you". I thanked him for his 6 and pushed Jean back to her room.
Now, this same man was on his own and as I got 7 , I realized he had only one 8 and the one he did have was dry and full with rashes (疹子); he kept scratching (抓) it.
I had a lotion ( 涂 剂 ) in my bag that seemed to made him feel better. I even found myself 9 lotion on his other side, where there had been a leg as well. It just seemed a 10 thing to do. He didn't speak English but spoke to me in his home language—Vietnamese—and tears started to come gently down his face. I 11 his tears with tissues and patted him on his shoulder to 12 him. He kept talking and looking at me as if I understood him. I nodded and listened.
We didn't 13 each other and weren't blood-related and yet, in that moment, we shared a14 that went beyond blood—heart to heart. When I see him again, chances are that he won't recognize me—but I will remember him forever. And, every time my heart extends, it is 15.
