When I first introduced myself to Jim Sorer, he described himself as a “grumpy old man,” a description many of the Mansion residents picked up.

Jim didn’t come out of his room much, declined to attend any Mansion activities, and rarely socialized with the other residents.

That has changed. Jim, struggling with bad eyesight and other health problems, is singing his heart out.

For technical reasons, I’m not able to share the video image on my page, but you can listen to Jim sing here.

It is not unusual for new residents at the Mansion to be depressed and isolated for a while. It is not a simple thing to leave your life and family and home behind, almost certainly for good.

Music was Jim’s life. When he moved into the Mansion, he gave his guitar to his son, who no longer has it. The Mansion aides asked me for help. We helped.

The aides were worried about Jim and kept asking him how they could help and what would cheer him up. He was so grumpy one aide was afraid to drive him to the doctor. “But once we got going, he was charming.”

He always had the same answer when questioned – he missed his music, his guitar, and harmonica.

For years he and his friends took their band to bars, homes, restaurants, fairs. Jim played an acoustic guitar and a Bob Dylan style harmonic with a holder wringing his neck.

I asked my readers – the Army Of Good we call ourselves – for help, and they responded, sending me $400 instantly to buy a Yamaha guitar and a harmonic and some accessories. We’re in business.

Today, everyone at the Mansion is shocked.

He is laughing and smiling and playing his harmonica for anyone who will listen. He can’t play the guitar yet, because his eyesight is so poor he can’t tune, but one of the Mansion aides is helping him do that this afternoon.

Jim says his health problems often kick up. The guitar will help, we think.

When I came to visit him, I invited him to sing a song so that the people who donated to help him get a guitar and harmonic could see the joy it brought him.

So he sang Johnny Cash’s Folsom Prison Blues. His face lit up; he smiled ear to ear. This was his life, this was his joy and it all came rushing back. The Mansion has invited Jim to play once a week in the Great Room, the residents love music and Jim is good at it.

He says he’s rusty, but he didn’t look or sound rusty. By tomorrow, when I visit again, he’ll be ready to play that guitar. It is a great privilege to be able to reach into someone’s life this way and help to pull them up.

To me, that is what being human is all about.

It was such a great thing to see how these instruments – the guitar and the harmonic – have brought Jim back to life. His eyes lit up, his smile returned, his heart began to sing along with him.

He’s found his bliss again. Thanks so much for helping. We are doing some good work this week.