Storytelling at Nazareth Nursing & Rehabilitation in Louisville, KY

     Saturday morning found the Kansas City road trip troupe wide awake and eager to take to the road for more storytelling. Arriving in Louisville, Kentucky, we were awestruck by the good-looking structure which houses the rehabilitation center, nursing facilities and an Alzheimer's Unit. Run by the Sisters of Charity, it is also the place many Catholic priests and nuns live out their final days loved and appreciated by an excellent staff. The care given the place is a good indication of that given to its residents in my opinion, and this one was first-rate.

     On seeing it, I soon realized the honor we had been given: supporting member, Mattie Mullins secured this venue for us, and apparently not just anybody performs there. Just the night before, someone familiar with the facility asked, "how did you get booked in there?" I just told her a friend of a friend snagged it for us, which was true... At any rate, we were happy to be there, and treated like royalty from Kathy at the front desk, to our host, Sarah Coode.

     We held two simultaneous concerts - one for the general population, the other for those with Alzheimer's. A good friend of Mattie's from years back, a Mr. Tipton who lives in the area, came for the main concert, while David, Libby and I went to the Alzheimer's unit. Lucky, the golden retriever who watches over the ladies, had been visiting with a family and missed our arrival. He sauntered in not long after we did and quickly detected the presence of strangers amongst his charges. Libby and I easily passed muster, but David, the lone male, had to make friends rather quickly or give up and leave it to us. Fortunately, he's a lovable character and it took him little time to convince the canine guardian that all was well. While not all the women were nuns, all were called "sister," and it delighted us to take them back in time with stories that sparked special memories of the past. Such a beautiful time it was.

After a sumptuous lunch of chicken salad sandwiches, chips and dessert, the strong need for a quick siesta set in, but that's also when the reality of the vigours of staying in performance mode became most clear: stories were at the tip of my tongue and I would have been happy to continue performing to anyone I could find to tell to, but it was not to be. Next: the Evansville, IN House Concert.