The song leader stilled her guitar and studied the group scattered throughout the dining hall tables. Some of her crowd had fallen asleep and some were staring out the window but several were watching her intently, waiting for the next song.

“What birthdays do we have this week?”

There was a quiet as the gray-haired residents glanced around them.

“Nobody?” she asked.

Then one women brightened. “It’s my daughter’s birthday today.”

“Oh!” The song leader knew this woman and her daughter. “How old is Peggy anyway? Is she the same age as my son?”

“She turns 60 today,” Clara said.

The group, at least those who hadn’t fallen asleep or lost focus, nodded.  Surrounded by several elderly people in wheelchairs and more who shuffled along with the aid of a walker, Clara finished her comment with a roll of her eyes.

“And she’s crying about it.”