Mimi

It is becoming increasingly clear to me that volunteers of MOC are bringing music to friends and relatives as much as they bring it to patients. There are few things in a hospital that patients and loved ones can enjoy together, and live music is definitely welcomed by many. However, behind the smiling faces is often something more than a simple, attentive audience.

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"Look, Mimi, a violinist has come to play for you!" a middle-aged woman said softly to an elderly woman, who was half-propped up on the bed. Mimi opened her eyes and looked at her daughter, confused by the strangers around her.

"Yeah, you like music--don't you, Mimi?" The daughter looked down at her, speaking as if to a small child. The confusion lingered on Mimi's face. The daughter pointed at me. "Music," she said. Mimi finally saw me and opened her mouth to say a silent "Oh!" She smiled to her daughter, who was beaming from ear to ear.

I began to play a soft but joyful melody, and a fresh green meadow covered with daisies came to mind. I painted and painted the picture with more and more colorful notes, trying to fill the room with sweet musical aroma of wild flowers. A gentle breeze came in, lifting tiny yellow petals off the floor and bringing them to the bed.

The daughter was delighted, but a slightly confused expression remained on Mimi's face. Something in her eyes told me that she did not really understand why I was there, and she could not see the flowers or smelled them. However, whenever the daughter turned her head from me to look at her mother, Mimi's face lit up. She smiled as her daughter mouthed the words "beautiful music!" and she looked at me as though she understood. As soon as the daughter turned away, the lonely and confused expression returned. The same thing repeated several times until the daughter put her hand on her mother's forehead. Mimi closed her eyes and stretched her neck, enjoying the gentle touch of someone who loved her so dearly.

This, after all, was what she needed.