Mother's Day at Preferred Care at Mercer nursing and rehabilitation center in Ewing

It was Mother’s Day weekend, 2019, when my friend Catherine and I (Amanda) visited the Preferred Care at Mercer nursing and rehabilitation center in Ewing. It had been a couple of years since my last visit, and I looked forward to entertaining the elders who live there. It is a tradition for me, dating back to before I can even remember. Even though I don’t remember much of the first performance, my mom has helped me fill in the blanks. In 2013, my grandma, who was sick at the time with cancer, was admitted to the facility. She was supposed to be discharged the day before Mother’s Day, but stayed one day longer to hear a performance that my sister Sarah and I had prepared. Sarah played the flute while I had played the piano. We only performed 5 songs in total, but they were meaningful to perform and delighted the audience. It truly was a short and sweet performance. Ever since, I have been going back almost every year to perform for the residents. Even though my grandma has since passed away, I wanted to continue to perform at senior centers like this one to bring happiness to the residents like I did with my grandma. My mom says that all of the seniors were so touched by the performance that they lined up to hug and thank us. The staff also joined in. I didn’t really fully appreciate what my mom was saying about our performance and the residents’ and staff’s reaction to it. But when I returned this year with Catherine, I experienced firsthand their expressions and reactions and fully understood and appreciated what my mom was trying to convey. On that day, Catherine and I interacted with the residents by asking for song suggestions. We also asked about songs that they liked listening to so we could learn them and perform those the next time we visit them. I even shared with them about my grandmother's story and how my music helped her get through tough times. Catherine and I alternately sang and played the piano during our performance that memorable Mother’s Day weekend. Our performance - a mix of Western pop and traditional Chinese music – seemed to touch the residents’ heart strings. A number of them smiled broadly during our performance, the music seemingly wiping away the years as it swept them from the reality of separation from their families. The staff offered their thanks, approaching us afterwards and telling us how the seniors truly enjoyed the performance. The program Music Unite began as a leadership opportunity for Catherine and I. But as we performed more and more for different audiences – we’ve also performed for families in need - and saw people’s reactions, we realized that it wasn’t just for the opportunity to lead or even to perform, but a way to bring happiness and joy to people who really need it. In that way, Music Unite has become even more fulfilling a venture than we could have ever imagined when we first began this journey together.