Come 'ere, come 'ere, come 'ere...

There is a fellow resident at Gaffney House, an elderly African American woman, who is kinda known for the phrase she repeats over and over: "come 'ere, come 'ere, come 'ere, come 'ere"... these seem to be the only phrases she is able to express. I recently learned that she apparently is able to communicate in other ways--and David picked up on it.

The other day she was repeating her phrase over and over--but she seemed more agitated than usual. Jenn, one of the day managers, was trying to console her, when David came over and sat down next to them. She calmed down. David said nothing, but just sat there quietly with her. He stayed with her for quite some time.

When the staff retold this story to me, it was obvious to them knowing David's background as a priest--and someone who has sat with plenty of sick and dying people over his long career--that this was a purely instinctual reaching out for him. The manager was very moved, and thanked David for his generosity of spirit.

While his capacity to console with words has left him, his innate ability to reach out to those who are suffering or in distress is still very much with him.