103, not out!

Some days she sleeps all day
– quite determined;
other days she’s just sleepy.
After five days wakeful
she slept all day the day before her birthday.
On the birthday, her son and his wife,
two grandsons and their wives,
and two little great-grandchildren
all squeezed into the bedroom and sang ‘Happy Birthday’
while the violinist played.
Many spoke to her, some touched and kissed,
but with a wave of her hand (‘Go away!?’)
she slept the day away.
We arranged cards and a ‘103 birthday cushion' around
to be (hopefully) noticed when she awoke next.

Next Day
Message to say she is awake.
In again minus one grandson and his wife who live afar.
She looks a bit abstracted and vague, but
gradually assimilates who we are,
why we are there.
Enjoys her cake (five year old great-granddaughter
helping to blow out the 1, 0, and 3 shaped candles)
that the Home’s chef had made.
Enjoys grandson playing his violin which she now always expects.
(joining in quietly singing when recognising the music:
‘Holy, holy, holy, Lord God almighty’.
‘Guide me O Thou great Jehovah’,
the wartime song ‘We’ll meet again …’
‘How great Thou art’ …)
One of the other residents sang
‘Over the sea to sky’ to the
great-granddaughter who’d climbed onto his lap.

And lastly she said a quiet benediction to her son
(in younger years she would have been too
reserved to do that)
… and we left her feeling happily sleepy again!
and we were all glad that contact had been made,
and grateful to the many caring staff at the home,
so supportive in organising this event.