I love the elderly, and I don't ever really use the term "old"…it just doesn't seem fitting to me.  For those of you that know me well, you may know about the poem I wrote about my time at one of the nursing facilities where I worked.  It is titled "Angel Babies".  That's just what they were to me.  :)  I feel very protective of the elderly…I don't like to see people become impatient with them, to become frustrated, to feel as though they are a burden.  They have so much they can share with us…We have much to learn from them…Life stories, experiences, and dreams.  I wish I had taped some of my visits with some of those "Angel Babies"…how I would love to listen to them now.  Might even help me to relax a little more! :)  I used to visit a very special "Angel Baby" on my way home from college all along.  My mom would call my cell phone to check on me…but, she really wasn't too worried…she know those hours that had passed were filled with sweet conversation, smiles, and a friendship like no other…for, I was loving my time with Miss Cotton.  She had been a school teacher, adored her husband, loved life…and, I loved listening to her.  I just happened to meet her at a facility (one that I just visited…I did not work at this one) after visiting with another resident.  She stole my heart instantly.  I fell in love with that sweet little lady…for those of you that love the elderly…you know what I mean.  :)  We were instant friends from that first "hello"!  She had me!! :)  haha  Her eyesight was really bad so she would get close to me so she could see me…but, she always knew my voice.  And, yes, I would be on my way home from college and stop in to see her all along.  I needed my dose of "Miss Cotton"!  These roses made me think of her.  Yes, she had aged, but she still possessed such beauty…inside and out.  And, she listened to me as though we had known each other forever…we talked like old friends.  I miss her now.  I love my memories with her.  I had been really busy with school and working and had not gotten to visit with her in a bit so I stopped by one day.  The receptionist hated to be the bearer of sad news…she had passed away just a short time before my visit.  I felt so heartbroken, but I remembered all those times I spent with her.  I knew she knew how much I cared for her.  I knew she cared for me.  That's what mattered.  Isn't it amazing how we can touch someone's life…and, also be touched…deep within our hearts…a feeling we will carry with us forever.  I hope you have experienced these "life moments", too, with an elderly person, and I hope you know how much richer you are for having done so.

"Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art."
                                                                                                                                                  ~Eleanor Roosevelt

"I have enjoyed greatly the second blooming…suddenly you find ~ at the age of 50, say ~ that a whole new life has opened before you".
                                                                                                                                           ~Agatha Christie

"Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards."
                                                                                                                                                 ~Soren Kierkegaard

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