Lasting Legacies
A very Happy February to everyone! I’ve been strolling down memory lane recently and decided that for this month’s newsletter, I would share an experience I had while in my teens; an experience that taught me a significant lesson about seeing the glass ‘half full’ or ‘half empty,’ or in some cases, totally broken!
During my teen years, I held several jobs. Probably the most impactful job I held was when I worked summers on the night shift of what we then called, the Osseo Nursing Home. My lifelong mentor, Hazel Bollinger, got me the job, for which I will forever be grateful. When you’re a sixteen-year-old girl, working in an environment filled with elderly folks, there’s a great deal to be learned about life in general, if you're paying close attention.
I recall two patients I grew particularly fond of, both with very different outlooks on life. Each morning when I walked into Bertha’s room to awaken her, she’d push back her locks of curly gray hair, put on a big smile, and wish me a good morning. In return, I’d say, “Hello, Bertha. How are you doing this morning?” Her reply was always the same: “Fine and dandy.” Although she was in a sometimes-dreary environment, Bertha always looked on the bright side of life. I never heard her complain, and she frequently complimented our staff for taking care of her.
Just down the hall from Bertha in a fancier, corner room resided a woman named Mandy. Each morning when I greeted Mandy, she would sit up in bed and scowl. She complained about everything. On several occasions I would sit beside her bed on a chair and converse with Mandy. She’d tell me the same thing: she grew up in a small town and was a child of privilege. Her daddy was the town judge which gave Mandy a bit of an edge in society. For Mandy, living a rather charmed life appeared to sour her when she discovered that when it came to aging, the process was similar for everyone. Quite simply, it boiled down to ‘outlook.’ I learned at the age of sixteen that there are two types of people: those who focus only on the past; and those who, despite their old age, turn their attention to the future, or, at least, what’s left of it. That served as a valuable lesson for me, particularly since I’m in my ‘Golden Years.’
Love Letters
Several years back I began thinking about those I worked with at the nursing home who suffered from dementia. Back then, we didn’t know the term Alzheimer’s, but we did feel a keen sense of patients slipping away from us; patients who changed before our very eyes. The most difficult thing for me, as a young teenager, was watching how the families of those afflicted with Alzheimer’s suffered. I watched well-meaning siblings argue with one another over the best way to care for their parents.
Five decades later, I was inspired to write a series of fictional novels which addressed some of the challenges of aging. In these books, four sisters struggle as the patriarch of their families is stricken with Alzheimer's. In each book, a letter written from their father, before Alzheimer's consumed him, appears at just the right time, guiding the girls as they navigate their way through life. Each girl has her own book, and although I numbered the series, the books can be read as ‘stand-alone’ books if a reader doesn’t want to purchase all four. But given that you can purchase all four Ebooks for under $20, that’s quite a bargain!
The characters in these four books are all in their twenties and thirties, so if you have a daughter or granddaughter this age, I highly recommend purchasing one of these books. You can gift them to that person a digital copy through amazon. I’d love to draw in some younger readers, given the characters in all my books are multi-generational.
Labor of Love
At the Methodist church I attend here in Allen, Texas, we have an amazing woman named Wendy McConney, heading up our Care Ministry. She’s recruited about fifteen of us to visit those who are struggling with health issues and can’t always make it to church on Sundays. While we do have live streaming at Creekwood UMC, Wendy has created a program with a very active Care Ministry and beginning next month, I’ll be visiting a good friend from church, dropping in on her, just seeing how she’s doing in general. I’m really excited about this opportunity because it feels as though I’ve come full circle: First, where it all began at the Osseo Nursing Home where I learned many life lessons on how to age gracefully; secondly, pouring my heart into writing fiction novels outlining the struggles of families with Alzheimer’s; thirdly, getting the opportunity to visit a wonderful lady from church as she struggles with health issues, including Alzheimer’s. And probably the best thing about this full circle moment is that I can continue serving God until He calls me home. Which, by the way, I hope won’t happen for a very long time!
Enjoy this Valentine’s Day! If you have a moment, pop in on someone you haven’t seen in a very long time, or send someone in assisted living a lovely card with a note. It will mean so much to them.
Thanks to those of you posting reviews on Amazon! Your kind words are a blessing.
Gay Ann
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