I met Christopher as he came out of the music therapy session, and he indicated he was sorry it was over. He enjoys music and had been listening to “Waiting for Love” by Avicii. I looked up the words when I got home and was motivated by what I read which included:
“Where there's a will, there's a way, kind of beautiful
And every night has its day, so magical
And if there's love in this life, there's no obstacle
That can't be defeated
He liked the song’s beat and knew the words but only sings in a crowd, and never alone as he has suffered from stage fright. I was impressed by the singer’s spirit of finding love and improving his life and would like to believe that Christopher felt the same way which inspires him to find love in today's world.
Christopher is an eleven-year-old who is in seventh grade and likes school. Math is his favorite subject, but he does not like to read and does not feel that is a strong subject for him. He has an older sister and thought she was around seventeen, but he was unsure. He had been in other facilities; this was his second stay at Genesis. He had been gone for six months before coming back and had been here for about a month this time. He was fidgety. There was a movie on when he was seated at my table, and I had a tough time engaging him in conversation as he directed his attention to anything that excluded him from talking directly to me. It was not easy keeping him engaged but if I asked him questions that he liked and wanted to answer, he became quite candid.
He relishes the music therapy and is offered two different classes: one with three students and a separate one with just him and the therapist, Kaysea Scott. They play games like musical chairs which includes instruments like drums, piano, eggbeaters (his terminology), bass instruments, and guitars but no trumpets. He mentioned talking and frame drums (which I am unfamiliar with) and told me they did not call the sticks they use with the drums, drumsticks but mallets instead. Music certainly has changed since I was in school!
He loves visiting various places with other residents of Genesis and had a great deal of fun at Six Flags Hurricane Harbor. Swimming every day is a pleasure and he can swim but has not mastered floating and his feet always sink to the bottom of the deep end. He enjoys watching television and playing video games when they do not leave the facility. He was a stickler about what food he eats and likes a lot of variety. He wished they were served different foods every single night! As we concluded our time together, he blurted out that his birthday was May 12th! It became evident that he was slow in divulging much information about himself but when he became more comfortable, he shared a lot about himself and that made warmed my heart and pray when he leaves Genesis that he uses the knowledge he has gained and becomes a productive, contributing member of society. Christopher is a reminder of why Genesis was created, and the staff works extremely hard to give these residents a chance to grow and learn and I passionately believe Christopher is on the right track.
