FREE BAG OF FLOWERS FOR THE YOUNG WOMAN WHO BANGED INTO MY CAR AT THE RED LIGHT

I was stopped waiting for the light to change from red to green. Bang! Thump! I hopped out of my car as the twenty-something young woman exclaimed, “I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to bump you.  I hope there is no damage.”

She was very upset.  Her friend who was in the passenger seat was also upset. I did a very quick assessment. Thankfully, it was just few scratch marks but no dents. I hugged her and told her everything was okay.

Then I said, “I have something for you – for your mom to put on the kitchen table.” I grabbed a bag of beautiful glorious bouquets from the back seat of my flower-mobile (aka little white KIA) and handed them to her. Probably ten bouquets of donated bouquets of tulips were in the bag.

Being the Flower Lady is easy….and gets even easier when you have the opportunity to  spread some flowery love to a scared young woman.

Flowers are a quick fix for so many things – bruised cars, bruised feelings and for chasing the blues away on a rainy and gloomy afternoon in a Philadelphia suburb.

Aunt Anne loved the riddles, cards from little kids……

Blaine and Cynthia from SC had a novel idea. They bought a bunch of very pretty greeting cards and put a message – Greetings from Asheville, South Carolina and a few other words. Enclosed was a large piece of paper with a riddle and a graphic. Simple and cute riddles that made Aunt Anne smile. And then read over again to the next person that came in the room for their enjoyment too. They enclosed extra cards that I could give to her room-mate Margaret. Margaret happily opened three cards.

Barbara P from Florida sent a pretty card with a nice note and enclosed a picture of Oscar, her cat. She said that she would write again to see how she was doing.

And lots of colorful drawings and letters from the second and third graders – kids with names like Cole and Asher…..asking her if  she likes camping, BINGO and telling all about themselves and their families. And their excitement about summer vacation. And most of them signed with the word Love!

Thank you, everybody. Auntie Anne, Baby Bridget and some family members spent an hour and a half with her enjoying cold lemonade, cookies and a nice pile of a happy thoughts.

Delivered Sunshine Club cards to Auntie Anne – glorious!

A week or so ago, I posted a request to send cards and little things of encouragement to me – that I could take to my Auntie Anne who lives (unhappily) in a nursing home. Today, I had the most wonderful time sharing 32 greeting cards with her. They came from Florida, Minnesota, PA and other places in between. I was struck by the extreme kindness of my FB friends and people that I did not even know who took the time to buy a card and write a very personal message to my elderly aunt. They were enclosures of holy cards of the Good Shepherd and a  classic Guardian angel picture that she said she has loved since she was a little girl. They were home-made cards, typed letters – one even signed “With admiration” from a person who cited some of the things that I told about Aunt Anne in my original request. Cheryl sent a book for mothers to fill out their memories and inspirational cards that I taped to her closet. I hung the cards around her room and did the same for her room-mate Margaret. A postcard came from Florida that talked about the summer heat and the pretty flowers that are there year round. The Brownies from Levittown sent a bunch of cards with a picture of the girls in the troop and a photo of a pet gerbil. Someone else sent a card with an adorable baby photo. One sent a photo of her husband and two sons. On the back of the photo, each family member had written a note. Another sent a picture of her garden and fountain. Each card was absolutely lovely, personal, touching and so appreciated by Aunt Anne and by me. The social worker came in and smiled as we showed her the bounty of greeting cards. A few people promised to stay in touch. I wanted to bring the cards home with me so that I could type snippets of the thoughts and wonderful things that people did…….but I could not take them away from her! She asked me to put them on her nightstand so she could look at them later. So some are on the table and some are taped to the outside door of the closets………you have all done a random act of kindness that made an afternoon much brighter for Aunt Anne.

Good news: She may be getting her replacement hearing aids on Monday. The nursing home lost them five months ago…….and with the bureaucracy…….well, they were not replaced.  She has been a “prisoner” with no way to communicate.

The beginning of the New Year was the perfect time for Rabbi Sarah to deliver the gifts.

It was way after Christmas that I received a call from a Rabbi from the Main Line area. The ladies in her congregation who were “a little up in years themselves” wanted to do a service project.

They made 40 goodie bags chock-filled with lotions, lip balm, candy, toiletries, note pad and pens, little organizing baskets……all packaged in a pretty white gift bag.

The Rabbi came over for a visit and delivered the pretty packages to me. I was so impressed that this very busy member of the clergy took the time to drive 45 minutes to my house…..and that the ladies in the autumn and winter of their lives had gone to such expense to purchase a few hundred dollars- worth  of items.

Not surprisingly, the ladies also went to local children’s hospitals to cook for the parents who were standing watch with their sick children over the holidays.

So, off I went to do my programs for seniors in retirement communities and nursing homes, happily bearing the gifts of Rabbi Sarah.

Together as an affluent congregation family, they shared the very meaningful work of preparing and serving meals, just like chefs on the Food Network.

And their loving spirit was transferred from Gladwyne to strangers in so not so ritzy neighborhoods; who so appreciated the white-handled gift bags.

The disconnected threads of many groups of seniors connected with this project – they were passing peace and kindness, and their caring hearts were connected too.  Because I believe that the recipients were also like Rabbi Sarah’s friends – before they got sick and needed personal care.

Many of them probably had tireless energy to do good for others. They most likely contributed their time and talents to all around them – in many ways.

The beginning of the New Year was the perfect time for Rabbi Sarah to deliver the gifts. With the many small items, they created big smiles -and the special gifts chased the winter blues away!  

There is no Santa Claus anymore or babies either…….not anymore around here.

WHAT HAPPENED THE OTHER DAY WHEN MY MOTHER AND I VISITED A NURSING HOME:

She looked into my mother’s eyes and said, “There is no Santa Claus anymore  or babies either..or any children. You never see children anymore. Not when you are in here. I used to see mothers walking down the streets with baby carriages and fathers playing in the park with their children. Now I just see sick and old people.”

My mother looked into her eyes and said, “If Santa came in here today, what would you want him to bring you?”

“I told you, Miss, there is NO SANTA. You don’t get gifts NO MORE.”

“But what if he did come here, what would you like?”

“I would like an old-fashioned nightgown like the one I have on. It is heavy flannel and it is very warm. My grandmother used to wear this kind. When I wear it, I think of my grandmother. I did not have any siblings but I was close to my cousins and my granny.”

And where is my 86-year-old mother right now?

She is back at the Montgomery Mall…..looking for a old-fashioned nightgown for the lady at the nursing home in Germantown.

She went to Macy’s yesterday but no luck. She is going to try Sears and Penney’s this afternoon.

 

 

You have been a great friend to me over the years!

Trisha,

You have been  a great friend to me over the years.  When Twilight Wish granted our first nursing home wishes back in 2004 at Langhorne Gardens, I was excited to give the leftover stuffed animals to you …..which you promptly distributed on many trips to nursing homes.  And that first donation has led to so many visitations and  the wonderful program that subsequently developed – leading to the Stories for Seniors Project gifting over 10,000 stuffed animals and small items to lonely seniors. Your work is all heartfelt and joyful! 

Cass Forkin

www.twilightwish.org

Article, Angels on Earth Magazine

Patricia can be personally reached at T) 267 939 0365. She welcomes interviews and speaking engagements. May be available on short notice. (Philadelphia suburb)

Back in the day, more than 15 years ago, when she was a mother with small children, Patricia appeared as a guest on many television shows with her books about parenting and home business. (Including Oprah Winfrey, The CBS Early Show, Lifetime, CNN, QVC, The 700 Club, Financial News Network, CNBC, EWTN, Maury Povich and in publications including Woman’s World, Family Circle, Gannett Wire Service, the Stars and Stripes and Parents magazine.

Patricia@patriciausa.com

www.patriciausa.com

This picture below was taken of my parents and me in their basement work area where we sent out the Team of Angels pins after an article appeared in Family Circle magazine. We had pins set up on ping pong table, pool table, hanging from trash bags attached to pipes on the wall. Not exactly a Madison Avenue operation. For a free download of the whole story about how the Team of Angels began and how it touched 125,000 people since 1998, please go to http://www.patriciausa.com/downloads/Free_eBook_Angel_Pin_Lady.pdf

f

This is me when it all began. I placed 10,000 Team of Angels pins on my front porch in Bucks County, PA and notified the local media that if anyone was overwhelmed, they could come and take a Team of Angels for the Overwhelmed pin to help them with their need. No charge, no donation…….free for the taking. I received 30,000 letters over the years from people telling me where they were when someone sent them a Team of Angels to help. I could have never imagined how the Team of Angels that I created to help myself could have flown all over the world bringing comfort and hope to the downtrodden and in despair.

The monkeys that were “adopted” today – Norristown, PA

The residents were thrilled to select the monkey that they wanted to adopt. The activity director wrote a note to Sandy that said:

Thanks, Miss Sandy, for letting us at our  Nursing Home take on your loving monkeys. We are going to love them just like you did. Thanks again. The Residents

Here are some of the comments:

Louise adopted Snowy because he has nice brown hair like me.

John took Comet because he has a nice face.

Ruth took Eva and she is very happy to have her.

Abbie will go to Tootsie who is Deb’s sister because Tootsie has a very loving heart.

Charles, age 55, received Matombo and wants to call him Big Bad Butch and he said it will be his bed partner.

Debbie took Tootsie to give to her sister. But she might keep it for herself because she loves it.

Miss C got Dagwood and I think he is cute. I think mine is cuter than his. I am going to change his name to BO BO.

Brinnell took Koko.

Amelia adopted Cookie and said she wants to put it in her room so she can look at it every day.

Tina adopted Cootsie because he is the cutest thing that I have seen in a long time.

Dottie took Pete because he is nice and soft.

Shirley took Cow because he is little and soft.

Jose from Puerto Rico took Frosty.

Frannie, the activity aide took Muffin because she is cute and I have a two-yearold niece named Muffin.

Later in the day, I was driving with one of the big chimps sitting in the passenger seat of my van. A lady commented on how cute he was. This was at the Pine Run Community in Doylestown. Her name was Mildred. I hopped out of my car and took a monkey from a bag in the back of my van. This was the message she wanted me to pass on to Sandy.

Sandy, I was just given Greta. It was my 87th birthday on the 15th. I love him. Thank you so much.

Mildred held his hand and tried to comfort him…..

What happened at a nursing home in the dementia unit:

Hey, you just kicked my chair. I am going to give you a sucker punch. What are you trying to do to me?

I didn’t kick you.

Yes, you did so.

The first man grabbed the other man’s hand and squeezed it with great force. The man who was being hurt cried out in great pain. The Activity Director told me to call for a nurse. They quickly separated the two “boys” who were like boys in a recess yard fighting over a ball.

The “bully” was escorted from the activity room. They attended to the man with the sore hand. Another resident, a lady who did not speak earlier, held his hand and rubbed it.

That feels good.  I guess it will feel better soon.

Mildred tenderly held his hand. Like a mother soothing a child.   

Mildred, that is so nice how you are taking care of Jake.

He is my friend.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WJ1cf3nrLE

 

 

 

The ring in a Cracker Jack’s box

A group of 15 residents, 13 ladies and 2 men, came to the program today. We watched some old commercials and one was the Cracker Jack commercial.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwq_x9QsLzg

Twenty years ago, a young man proposed to my daughter and he gave her the plastic ring from a Cracker Jack’s box. She wasn’t upset because he wanted to get engaged and was still saving for a ring. She wore it to work every day, with pride. They are still married. Oh, that makes me laugh thinking about that!