By Donna McCario, Site Supervisor
The Best Day of My Life So Far at Sherwood Park
Salem, OR
We started our Best Day group in July of 2014. Beginning a new program as an Activity Director at a nursing home, brings with it joy and trepidation, as we have all skill levels at our facility and want programs that make our folks feel successful. When I learned of The Best Day of My Life So Far, I was thrilled that here was a program that only required our dear folks to share their memories. Although Alzheimer’s notoriously takes away short term memories, there is usually a heartfelt memory that can be kindled with the right spark. We often found that spark in our Best Day sessions.
It is difficult to choose a specific person who was most transformed during our sessions. There is Shirley, who has difficulty speaking after several strokes, but who discovered that with a little patience, she can write her own stories down! The pride on her face when she presents the group with her writing is a beautiful thing to share in; There is Marion, (who we lost this year, shortly after her 95th birthday), who was amazed that the sharing of her journey as not only an African-American, but as a woman who received her Master’s Degree, inspired so many through Best Day’s network, NATIONWIDE; And, there are every one of our writers who shared a personal story that helped us to know them better and love them even more.
A highlight of our group was becoming pen pals with Ms. LeighAnn Woodall at Whispering Pines Elementary School in Boca Raton, Florida. When the class graduated and went on their way to becoming THIRD GRADERS, our seniors received a wonderful “goodbye letter” from them. I especially loved this quote, “It is important to learn from each other’s generation and to honor our stories that we share about our lives”. You are right about that, dear ones, and it has been our joy to be part of your lives and your stories!
I consider there to be many “Best Days of My Life”, but certainly one of the VERY best was when I had the blessing to begin working with the beautiful seniors I now call my friends and my family. Hearing their stories, their history, their ups, their downs, their, “why I am me”, brings my respect and appreciation for them to an entirely new level. It is my honor to share their stories and to be included in this remarkable group of such interesting, viable and important people. Please keep sharing my friends, you make my heart smile!!