by Carolyn l. Brown (please note Carolyn’s feature in the River Valley Sun will be moving to a bi-monthly article but you can still find her “ramblings” right here each month!)
The house has been too busy through the last month to not share some of the experiences and excitement within. The garden club has been potting and pruning and we have had some entertainment finally back in our lounges. With Easter in the middle of the month, we saw decorating second to none and thanks to two ladies who love to knit, Rita Hawketts and Betty Hatt, personal decorations were made for each individual table setting. How nice was that!? And they came with treats!! The picture below tells it all. Of course, spring being spring in Carleton County, there was a trip to the sugary for a maple syrup lunch. As I write this today at the end of April, I’m told there are residents in the activity room making May baskets. Does that mean it is soon to be May??? And how nice to see residents outside sitting and walking on the nicer days.

On a personal level this year, spring is bringing many changes and some of them I don’t like so much but the journey of life suggests, sometimes in language stronger than we like, that a change is necessary. And so we adapt and move on. Moving on is an experience in itself that can cause us to lose focus, muster some resistance and convince ourselves that this doesn’t really need to happen this way. I remember hearing myself often say ‘there is always an alternative way to do things’ and there is, but it may not always be to our liking. In the end, I know it will be “as it should be”. These residents who have experienced so much of life with their share of heartaches, when sharing their stories with you, can only be an inspiration to reassure “twill be ok.”
I am thinking that the housekeeping staff and our maintenance manager may be wishing I would take a long holiday hiatus as we seem to be having an upsurge in moving activity lately. Between early April and mid- June we have 11 moves on the go including 5 within the house itself, some transitioning to a new space or deciding to stay with us permanently and moving in their own things to make it home in a more personal way. This week, I gave staff Carolyn and James their own list of changes so they could keep it all straight, and more to the point, to be sure they keep me straight!!! They are a blessing to me!!
And so if we face the sunshine we know the shadows will fall behind us and we will be surrounded with memories and moments to cherish and full knowledge there is much yet to come. Blessings everyone, for a wonderful springtime.