Something illuminating happened this week, I swear God intervened and said, “DO SOMETHING,” days before my heart busted open. You see, I am losing someone I love. This very minute, she is slipping away. For the family’s privacy, I won’t involve you anymore with the details, but I will tell you this.
A few days before all of this happened, I decided to apply for HAPPY GRAMS, mostly curious, mostly wanting to join a team that won my heart over at go. Why? They send out emails, in large font mind you, to the ladies and gentlemen of the nursing homes from family. Just like my friend, who recently ended up in skilled care. During a sample call, I listened to the director, one of their clients, telling me how wonderful her residents feel after receiving these emails from family. My jobs the more technical side, whereas her job is the more emotional side. She’s good. And she knows her people, what lights them up and what they need.
They need to feel important. They need to brag on their families. They need love.
Losing my friend whom, I’ve known the span of my lifetime, actually triggered me to get a hold of the family and friends that she held dear to her. Our lives are intertwined, as she is my mom’s best friend. Do you still have the doll she made you? Do you know where my doll is? Seemed to be the very most important questions of my life. And the stories from family trotting down memory lane with me, made me bust of laughing at times and cry seconds later. There is something very special about the written word, the special nicknames a family member gives, and holding tightly to those memories. Just as tightly as I held on to my doll she made for me, every night as I fell asleep knowing I was loved.
