was crying, we stayed with them
and held their hands and waved at them as we left; they were lying
in bed waving back, so happy.”
“Right before I became Lucia,
my grandfather had a bad fall in the kitchen. I was so busy during
Lucia week that no one told me. So I came into one of the hospital
rooms, and there was an old man who looked like my grandfather sitting
in bed. He died this autumn, but you couldn’t mention Lucia
without his crying because he was so proud.
“In one private nursing home,
an old man had written a speech for Lucia. He wanted to stand but
he was in a wheelchair and he would have landed on his knees if he’d
tried. His nurse held him up while he spoke to us, “I’m
sorry I cannot stand up like a gentleman. I probably won’t
live until next year, so I am happy that Lucia took the time to come.’
“They say Lucia comes to spread
the light. That’s true. If someone takes time to visit people,
it makes a difference. It was really nice to be Lucia,” Anna
smiles, “It was about being kind.”
