We started out at the assisted living facility, Country Cottage. Our job was to join the residents during their morning activities. Emily and I spent most of the time with a man named Jack, who loved to talk! He was full of interesting stories about his time in the service when he was stationed a number of intriguing places, including Saudi Arabia and Korea. He spent a great deal of time after his tours publishing poetry and with the ballet as a photographer and producer. Jack encouraged us to never give up our passions for learning and continuing our education. He was a true inspiration. He mentioned how he had come to the center after having suffered from a stroke. This debilitated his ability to remember things and gave him some trouble communicating words.
Later, another man, Roy joined the conversation. He had been in the Navy and was a World War II and Korean War veteran. He also spent some time in between tours pitching for a professional baseball league in Canada. If you just sit and listen and ask questions about the lives of older, wiser, more experienced individuals, you learn a lot about life. With nurses coming in and out to take blood pressure readings and family possibly living far away, they need some face-to-face interaction to pass on the story of their life and their accomplishments.
The second part of our day was spent at the Manna House once again. Fran was once again delighted to see us, as she is delighted to greet each and every volunteer. Many of the faces I recognized from Monday, and assumed them to be regular volunteers, as Fran stopped to chat with them. But there were new faces too. I was impressed with how quickly Fran welcomed everyone, old and new, and how quickly she would put them to work. She’s ambitions and get the job done but the kindness to ensure each and every visitor, be they volunteer or customer, leaves feeling satisfied.
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