Making Time for Others

Every other Friday morning my husband Joe and I accompany our daughter, Amanda, to a local assisted living facility called The Highland House to participate in a program set up by Amanda's preschool teacher. Basically, the 3 to 4 year old kids and their parent(s) from the preschool class visit with the residents at this facility on a voluntary basis.

When this idea was originally presented to us, the first thing that went through my head was, "I'd love to do this, but can't imagine how we'll fit it into our schedule."

However, after thinking about it a bit, we really felt this would not only be a wonderful opportunity for Amanda to learn about the lives of people who are in their late 80's and 90's, but it would also be a fantastic way to bring joy to these people who don't get a chance to have young visitors very often.

So, Joe and I re-arranged our schedules a bit and made a decision to say Yes to this opportunity, and we're both so glad we did. We paid four visits so far over the past two months. Each time, we had the pleasure of visiting with a different resident, while talking and making crafts.

This week, we made Gingerbread Houses together. The resident we sat with told Amanda some very old nursery rhymes that even I never heard of. Amanda was amused and spent a lot of time smiling and laughing, which brought great pleasure to the woman we were sitting with.

During this season of hustle, bustle and bitterly cold weather, just sitting down for an hour and experiencing the facility residents interacting with the young kids is so heartwarming. It's truly in the spirit of the holidays and worth every moment of the time we spend there.

Comments

[Kevin Rhodes]

Maria,

This is a beautiful way to give back to the community especially during the holidays. Bravo!

[Albert]

I agree - it's a cliche that we've all forgotten the true spirit of Xmas, but still we go on doing it. Good stuff :D

Cheers,
Albert | UrbanMonk.Net
Modern personal development, entwined with ancient spirituality.

[Rae]

Even at the age of 62 I find it a delight to be around babies and toddlers. Some of us, once our own families are grown and on their own and live at a distance, hardly ever to to hold a baby or hear the simple truths that come from a toddler. I think it's a wonderful idea for all generations to share themselves this way! You are giving you child and those elders a priceless gift!!

[Sally Gee]

Wonderful idea to visit nursing homes at any time of the year! Just make sure that children are well because even a small illness for a child can result in a terrible one, maybe even life threatening for an older person.