Have you ever wondered what will happen to all your little treasures once you are no longer here to appreciate them? Who will want them? Will anyone love them as much as you do? Will they even know how important they were to you or what they meant to you?
I often think that Residents of Nursing Homes, especially, ponder these thoughts. In most cases they have left behind most of their worldly goods. Someone else has had to come along and “take care” of them.
Did they smile and remember why Mom had this seashell on the piano? Does anyone realize the hours that you spent embroidering those dresser scarves that are in your bedroom?
Did your parent ever tell you about the day you were born? Or how your parents first met or what their wedding was like? You’ve probably heard how they scrimped and saved during war time, or how they walked 5 miles to school in the snow. Did you ever ask what their favorite memory was of you as a child or what it was like when you went off to school that first day?
You might consider taking a spiral notebook when you go for a visit. Ask questions – probe – listen – record. Trust me, you will be creating a treasure of your own that will be unequal to any other.
Meanwhile, I just betcha your Mom or great aunt would love to hear about (or see) what you just finished making on their old sewing machine. Wouldn’t Grampa love to see something that you created with the tools that he used for years in the shed out back of his house.
Can you imagine the delight in an old persons heart if you brought them a treat from last night’s dinner, served on their very own “old” dishes?
Come on – use your imagination a little – get out of the rut. Perhaps you could even make a list of some of the things that were taken from the old homestead and record who has them now. Even include pictures if you have access to them. Leave it so that when Mom, or Uncle Charlie is all alone, they can look back over it and this will become their own treasure chest.
What else could you bring them that would be so inexpensive, and yet be so meaningful to all involved?
Shaywardncr
