Daughters with their Moms Using Wheelchairs “We invited dad to come, but he chose to stay home,” one daughter said. “It’s his choice on Father’s Day,” I responded with a smile. They were planning to pick up some sherbet on the way home that would make him happy. This duo, Chris and Anne, were referred to our program by one of our volunteers, Bruce. Chris shared in the guestbook:
Such a wonderful peaceful place to enjoy spending time with mom. Can’t wait to come back.
Another daughter, Susan, discovered us on June 10 at the Topsfield Strawberry Festival. Susan and her mom Gaye opted to tour the garden twice! I noticed they enjoyed smelling the rose, “Fragrant Cloud,” for a second time their second-time-around. They also had a lot of fun playing with the Fish Tales puppets.
Susan wrote in the guestbook:
What a wonderful gift. Thank you so much for the beautiful day. Loved the gardens and the easy access.
MA Department of Developmental Services: Topsfield Group Home
The past week, from 6/12 – 6/16, I reached out to my neighbors in Topsfield about our programs and our 6/21 “The Longest Day, Open Garden Day” event. One of these neighbors was a group home owned by the MA DDS, with residents being mostly wheelchair-users. The direct-care worker, Anna, brought two additional staff helpers, Janett and the house manager, Hassane, to accompany two residents, Kenney and Dylan. On arrival, Hassane smiling, compared our property to paradise… He departed after the first fifteen minutes to attend to other work. Anna stayed along with Janett, Kenney and Dylan. Anna shared that Dylan smiled during music-making, which was a nice surprise. She wrote in the guest book:
We had a wonderful time! Beautiful place to relax and meet new people. Our group enjoyed the music and bird watching. We will be back.”
Peregrine’s Landing at Tewksbury
Michelle Solimini, an activities coordinator at Peregrine’s Landing at Tewksbury, met with me a few weeks ago for a site visit. Based on her visit, she chose to bring a group of seven ambulatory folks, one CNA, and one nurse. This mix of ten residents and professionals worked really well.
As I stood with this group, seated at the Pear Tree Patio picnic table, and the Group Home small group, seated nearby the picnic table, I looked out towards the rt. 97 and Linebrook Road and the following scripture came to mind: Proverbs 1:20-23
20 Wisdom cries aloud in the street,
in the open squares she raises her voice;
21 Down the crowded ways she calls out,
at the city gate she makes her speech:
22 “How long, you naive ones, will you love naivety,
23 How long will you turn away at my reproof?
Lo! I will pour out to you my spirit,
I will make known to you my teachings.
Witnessing “all welcome at the table” was powerful and gratifying.
Learning more about the Peregine Assisted Living company, I read the founder’s blog, “Stephen’s Blog.” I noticed the company headquarters are in Syracuse, NY – my hometown. These words echo my style of leadership:
Stephen Bowman on leadership: Embrace risk, not conventional thinking
Phil Turner on leadership: Have a heart for the people and a love for justice
Jason Covey on leadership: Build a team, delegate, get out of the office
Diane Schmid-McCall on leadership: Don’t be phony; people know when you’re not genuine
Bea Gonzalez on leadership: Help people see what they have in common
Moving forward with a listening heart,
vision, inquiry, and action,
~ Mary
If you are a small group leader interested in bringing a group, please contact me to arrange a “come and see” visit. I require all small group leaders to meet with me individually in our garden, prior to scheduling a group visit, to ensure the safety of the group members.