Music for the Soul

The patient in the bed near the window was hidden behind the curtain.  The other patient was in a chair by the door.  He smiled as I entered the room, and told me that he thought the music was very beautiful.  As I played, he continued to smile, and a tear rolled down his face.  He said, “That music touched my soul.  I think it’s the best medicine.  When I heard you in the hall, it made me want to get up and walk out to wherever the music was coming from.”  As we talked, he asked me to play something traditionally Irish.  He was very excited as I played a few airs for him, and he told me that in his country he was an artist and a poet.