On a sunny winter Saturday morning of 7 August 2010, Thanh Nien set out to visit the elderly residents of Canley Vale Nursing Home as part of our community reach-out efforts.

Visiting a nursing home may not feature highly on the weekend plans of many young people, including myself, but one thing I can honestly tell you, it was definitely a rewarding experience. As we walked down the hallway, we stopped every now and then to chat with the residents. Some told us their families visit them every day and they never feel lonely or isolated. Still they showed us their deep appreciation for our time by tenderly holding our hands. But the image that stayed with us was the sad faces of the lonely people longing for a visitor to talk to them. Then as we approached them, their eyes lit up, arms extended, waiting for us to be within reach and pulled us in for a tight hug. Some even shed a tear when we gave them the nicely wrapped presents. It was then that we realized that as much as we have brought joy into their lives, they have also enriched ours.

One thing that we all took away from the visit was that life is not about accumulating material possessions, but it is about learning to grow old gracefully and understanding that humility is the start of every individual’s quality of life.

More photos here..