I remember when my mom would drag me to senior homes or various charities to sing when I was young. One time she took me to a school she was teaching at for the severely profoundly mentally challenged when I was only 9 and I remember singing for them and being so intimidated and a bit scared. But as I continued doing these things with her and my father, I started to realize the importance of using your gifts to make a difference in other's lives.
With no children of my own I now drag our Youth Board kids to do these things and I think they realize how important it is already. See the pix below of our wonderfully talented and thoughtful group singing at St. Joseph's in Trumbull. The seniors loved it.
One story I will share is that an older lady came up to me at the end to tell me now much she enjoyed it. Dominic, our youth board treasurer and a sophomore at Notre Dame High school had made a point of singing some of "It Only Takes A Moment" from Hello Dolly to her. She was obviously moved and had giggled and even shed a tear. After the woman talked to me at the end, the physical therapist came up to me and said "That was amazing as that woman never speaks to anyone. It must have really moved her".
It's stuff like that that keeps me going. And of course we shared it with Dominic too.