Tuesdays with Milo

Yesterday was our second visit as a Therapy Dog Team

We arrived a little late - and found most of our regulars were involved in an activity. I was happy to see that they keep the residents so busy - and most seem to really enjoy what ever has been planned. I wandered the hallways and I was able to see some people who chose not to or were unable to take part in the day's activites.
 There is Fred, a tall gentleman who enjoys Milo immensely. He talks of his old dog, Spook, who he got on Halloween. He's sharp as a tack, just has trouble getting his words out.
Then there's sweet little Marjory, who loves her bracelets and likes to wear a hat. She's 98 years old, which makes her birth year 1914 - the year the Great War started. No wonder she likes to wear a hat - she's one of The Girls Who Have Hats. Marjory is so so very old - like a little wisp who's waiting to be swept away. I wonder what she thinks about  - does she wonder if God has forgotten her?
When I make my visits often I am moved - what am I going to do when these little wisps are swept away? Milo, when making his rounds through the corridors, will stop at the door of a room he's visited before. The guy has memory like a steel trap! If the room is empty - the resident is out somewhere - Milo looks up at me like he needs to solve this problem: where is his person?
 A quick treat usually distracts him and we're off to the next room, but I can't help but get a tight feeling in my throat. Someday I'll have to deal with it - but in the meantime, distracted by a little treat, Milo is trotting off to the next person, eager to give them a quick kiss and a paw.