“Sister Terry,” Friend, June 1998, inside back cover
Sister Terry
I’ll walk with you. I’ll talk with you. That’s how I’ll show my love for you. (Children’s Songbook, pages 140–141.)
Our names are Ashley, Jessica, and Amanda Alessi. Sundays are very long because Ashley and Jessica usually go to church around 7:00 A.M. with our Dad, and church doesn’t end until 12:30 P.M. We’re always tired and hungry by that time, but for the last few years, no matter how tired and hungry we are, we visit a member of our branch, Sister Terry, each week after church.
Sister Terry lives in a nursing home. When she was twenty-two years old, she and her baby daughter were in a terrible accident. Her daughter died not long after the accident. Sister Terry survived but has never completely recovered. She can’t talk or move, except for her right arm, which she can only lift up but not straighten out. She has been in a nursing home for about thirty years. Sister Terry was a nurse in a local hospital before her accident, but now she needs nurses to help her.
When we visit, we like to sing songs like, “I Am a Child of God,” “Love One Another,” “I Am like a Star,” “Book of Mormon Stories,” and “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.” Sometimes she tries to do the hand motions, and sometimes she even smiles. We like it when she smiles. The other residents in the hall seem to like the songs, so sometimes we sing to them too. We like to share the gospel by singing.
On nice days, we take Sister Terry outside for a walk. We wheel her around and hope she enjoys the flowers, trees, and fresh air. Most of the time, we have to visit with her inside her room. Mom and Grandmother read scriptures to her, and we all pray with her. Jesus Christ said we should visit the sick, and we’re glad that we can, because it makes us happy and because we love Sister Terry. We think it makes her happy too.
Illustrated by Jerry Harston