What a letter can do

Patricia Gilliam wrote a post in regards to this month being National Letter and Card Writing Month. I admit I never heard of it, or if I did don't recall.  You know how comments get wrote, and others respond and then something comes into your head. Well Connie C responded and between the two I remembered this story.

I was a CNA for many years in nursing homes. I can't for the life of me understand just putting loved ones there and never going to see them or even call. I got so close to all my residents, when one died I cried and cried. Sure they had their days and got under my skin but don't we all have those days?

I remember in girl scouts having a grandmothers day where we went and adopted a grandparent for the day. We was assigned a lady at the nursing home to be our grandma. One year I was to be given a lady who was able to walk, talk so on. There was a lady in the corner she didn't talk, couldn't walk, didn't move or nothing. I asked my leader if I could have two the lady over there too. They pulled her up on the other side of me. She couldn't eat the cookies we had, or drink the punch we brought. I was taught for the first time what a feeding tube was. I made her our craft as I did with my other adopted grandma for the day. We was to stay in contact by writing, you know the Pen-pal days. I did I stayed in contact with them both. While I always got a letter by one of my adopted grandma's it was okay, because I knew my other couldn't write or even say what she wanted to write. I was told after sending a birthday card to that lady that my leader got a call. My quiet little adopted grandma died. This was only a few months after me meeting her. Although we never know what she felt by that day I seen her in the corner taking her as my “grandma” for the day, or my cards and letters I will say the home said when they read them to her she was so relaxed.

When I became a CNA me wanting the ones who couldn't help themselves remained. I loved working with Alzheimer residents for same reason. I loved helping the elderly and miss it so much. Maybe that was all handed down by grandma who did that kind of work like some think, some think it was because of my abusive childhood that I turned to them. We will never know but as much as I hope I touched them I know they touched me.

I challenge all of you this month during National Letter and Card Writing Month send a letter to someone in the nursing home. You don't need to know them that is okay, just call the home and tell them to give you a first name to write. Address it to the home activity director since that is most likely who you will speak with and who will read the letter if they can't read or see it. You can explain how you may not know them but would love to. Don't say you don't have time.  If you was in one of these nursing homes waiting on your day to be called home, wouldn't you want someone to make time?  You never know on their last days on earth how you will make their life the best they ever had, or how they will yours.

Let us know how it went. Are you game?