TLC at GLC

OK. I know you know what TLC means. Right?

Tender loving care.

Please tell me you knew that.

In this case (and every Friday from now until, um, otherwise noted) GLC means
Grandhaven Living Center.

As I see it, my new role in life - at least for the hours I'm clocked in at work - is to bring TLC to the folks living at GLC.
So there we have it. TLC at GLC. My new Friday series.
I pray you'll enjoy it, and - more importantly - that you'll be encouraged and inspired to apply some TLC to your little corner of the world. *smile*

*This week at work I told one lady where I live about a dozen times. That is, because she asked me that question as many times. In a matter of probably 10 minutes.
*On another occasion I showed a lady how to dip a paintbrush into water and then swirl it in watercolors so she could paint a picture. Also showed her how to put the paintbrush on the paper to put color there. (Repeated regularly for the duration of the time the group was painting.)
*While playing the GLC version of Uno, I helped someone chose which card to play. By reminding her (for the umpteenth time) that she needed to follow suit or number.
Yes. I repeated myself a lot this week.
Because I spent most of my time on the memory care side of campus.
Can I just tell you? I work with a wonderful team of people at GLC. When I am not repeating myself to one resident or another, I often find myself watching various team members doing the same thing. That is, they're answering repetitive questions, redirecting wandering souls, singing the same ol' songs again (Honestly, that part never gets "old" for me.), and listening to a story for the gazillionth time.
And the part of it which delights my heart, is seeing my team members doing all this repetitive behavior so kindly. We know folks are going to ask the same questions over and over. We are well aware they love singing the same songs today as they did yesterday. (Or five minutes ago!) We expect to hear S tell about this story, and J to talk about that one.
It's what they do.
So we answer the questions, sing the songs, and listen to the stories - with grace and love.
It's what we do.
And it's what makes the difference between joy and frustration at GLC.
Simply put: we know what to expect, and we know the best way to respond is with grace and love.

So I got to thinking... What if we (That is, you and me.) employed this same principle in our homes? When the toddler asks, "Why?" for the fiftieth time; when the pre-schooler can't find her shoes again(!); when the tween forgets to use deodorant again(!); when the teen comments for the sixth time today that he's tired of school; when the husband goes another day without making the bed; when things happen just as we have learned they will - what if we responded with grace and love?

Something to think about! *smile*