FRAGILE

Life.
We take it for granted.
We think it is owed to us.
Fragile.

Emotions.
Laughter.
Tears.
Anger.
Fear.
Fragile.

Love.
Joyous.
ultimate happiness.
Fragile

Hate.
Overpowering.
Erases all the goodness.
Hate will eat us alive if we let it
Hate is not. fragile.

Time.
We cannot hold onto it.
We always think we have more than we really do.
It runs like water through our fingers.

Death.
Not an ending. A beginning.
Release.
Another chapter.
Another. journey.
Death is not fragile

Cherish. Live. Take nothing for granted.
Don't leave words unspoken.
In the blink of an eye.
We are dust being carried away by the wind.
To faraway places.
That we only dreamed about.
Nothing is permanent.
Everything is fragile.

 

MI AMIGA LYDIA

Dedicated. Kind. Caring. Helpful.
There are not enough adjectives to describe.
This kickass activities director.
Mi amiga Lydia.

She loves all of her residents.
There's nothing she won't do.
Mi amiga Lydia.

Her personality is bubbly.
She loves to dance and sing.
Karaoke is her thing.
Talk Dirty To Me is her fave song to sing.
Mi amiga Lydia.

She stays past quitting time.
To make sure tasks are done.
That's why she's #1.
Mi amiga Lydia.

She's from California.
Eureka!
She's golden.
She's happy she moved to The Lou.
But she does miss the ocean.
Mi amiga Lydia.

She serves up ice cream, and milkshakes,
What more could you ask?
Did you know she made peach salsa in her cooking class?
Mi amiga Lydia.

Hawaii, Paris and A Royal Wedding High Tea,
Trivia, Fun facts and even cuisine.
She takes her residents to places they may never have seen
Mi Amiga Lydia.

A Mexican Sea Breeze, a Margarita or an Apple Pie.
She makes the best cocktails.
Give them a try.
Mi amiga Lydia.

Frida Kahlo. Fiestas. Mariachis. Orchata.
She  brings a bit of Mexico with her
It's fun. and educational too.
Who Knew?

One of a kind.
A friend til the end.
I am blessed to call her...
Mi amiga Lydia.
.

THE TABLE

Three ladies and me.
Have dinner together.
Once a week.
The ladies include me.

Though I am no longer a resident.
I am one of them.
The table.

They waited to order Chinese takeout.
Until I could join them.
Proof that I belonged.
The table.

We talk about our week.
The food.
How. many trays were dropped.
You name it. We discuss it.
The table.

All of us are in wheelchairs.
We understand.
We know what it is like to depend on others for our care.
We appreciate it, but we are frustrated too.
We say what we feel.
Without fear of being judged.
The table.

We laugh. We listen. We support
We talked about moving to the same facility.
The Golden Girls on Wheels. 

I can see us now.
I  doubt it will happen.
It's fun to think about.
The table.

It took leaving the nursing home for me to realize I had friends there.
I was too focused on getting out/
I was not open to friendships.

 I was stupid. 

I was /narrow-minded.

But now...

I always wonder what the conversation will be about.

The Table.

DOGS MAKE EVERYTHING BETTER

My Lucie

Tammy, Skippy, Inky, Carmel, Cinnamon, Frosty, and Lucie. My dad did not like dogs, but he let us have them.
Dogs make everything better.

I miss having a dog.
Especially Lucie. She helped me through Mom's illness and death.
Dogs make everything better.

I wasn't there for Lucie at the end.
I hope she understood.
Dogs make everything better.

I looked forward to pet therapy each week at the facility because of Harvey.
Recently, when I visited, I saw a Maltese. Happy tears.
Dogs make everything better.

My friend Ellie's dogs Luci and Beau visited me.
Dogs make everything better.

 I did not think I'd see a  dog in this house.

I was wrong. A staff member brought her dog, Buster, for the day.
Dogs make everything better.

Buster. Light brown pointed ears, dark eyes.
Remnants of pink dye. I'm guessing his punk rocker phase.
Dogs make everything better.

Buster stood on his back legs at the side of my chair.
I scratched the top of his head.
Dogs make everything better.

Buster explored my room.
Stared at me while I ate hoping for a crumb.
Dogs make everything better.

I want to thank the dogs that I have loved throughout my life.
Bailey and Abby, I did not forget you.

Thank you, Ebony and Buster.

You made my Saturday better.

TRUE FRIENDSHIP

This story was part of my newsfeed on Facebook this morning. The text and photos are from the Creative Concepts Facebook page. This story moved me to tears. I had to share it. We should all be as blessed as these two ladies

This lovely lady has had no vision in one of her eyes for as long as she can remember. Recently, she was told by her eye doctor that she was on the brink of losing her vision in her other eye. When she was asked by her team about how she could be best supported through this transition, she replied that she wanted to go visit her friend while she could still see her. 

These two ladies joined us at CCL together as roommates over 12 years ago and had lived together for maybe 20 years prior to that. Her roommate had to move to a nursing home a few years back. It broke both of their hearts, and many hearts @ CCL. 

But they stay in touch and visit. As soon as they met up, she told her friend:  “I’m going blind in my good eye and I wanted to come to see you while I could still see you!”  She chucked through her tears

with the news. They cried together and laughed together and griped about medical problems and aging and said maybe they will be roommates again one day. 

Our employee, who shared these photos and this story, was part of it all. This moment, and also all the years leading up to it. And she was brought to tears. She added that their friendship is absolutely precious & she hopes to have friends like this when she is their age. Don’t we all? 

❤️

Beyond Community, Beyond Ability.

Real Life, Real Friends, Real People.