TLC at GLC

I poked my head into the Breezeway where my co-worker was playing Bingo with some residents last weekend - to say good-bye as I was heading home. (My co-worker, that is, who I hardly ever see because he works on a very part-time basis on the weekends.) And he said, "I hear you're leaving!?"
The look on my face must have told him that piece of information wasn't yet public knowledge, because he quickly covered it up recovered by saying something like, "You're leaving to go home?"

But when I came in on Monday, I discovered the clever cover-up hadn't actually covered up everything.
Because when I knocked on one dear woman's door to invite her to an activity - she asked me about the "leaving comment."
And what could I do?
I wasn't about to lie to her.
Nor did I want her to feel as though she was being abandoned.
Thus, I told her gently that while I am going to be leaving my regular employment at GLC, I will still be coming back for special occasions. "So, you'll still be here sometimes?" she asked. "Yes," I said, "I'll still be around. Just not as much."
And that answer seemed to satisfy her.

The decision to resign from GLC is the thing I've been wrestling with this summer. It's been the subject of many prayers and much seeking. And the focus of a lot of waiting.
But in the end, God has led my heart to follow Him through another door. I am going to be focusing my time and energy on my speaking ministry. My heart is very excited about it.
And the beautiful thing is, my team at GLC is welcoming me to continue working with them on an as-needed basis. That is - when big events are happening, or when circumstances call for it, I am going to be able to come in and do my "Life Enrichment Assistant" thing. I am going to be able to pursue the path God is paving for me, without completely walking away from the dear folks at GLC.

I am so thankful for the way God has worked out these details for me. What a joy it is to experience His hand as I have sought Him, and to be filled with such peace as I walk with Him.
Yeah, I think I'm receiving a little TLC of my own. *smile*

***My last "official" day at GLC will be next Friday.***

TLC at GLC

Several weeks ago I shared a story here about playing Uno with a few friends - two of whom I labeled "All There" and "Hanging on by a Thread." Remember them?
If you don't have time to go back and read that post, I'll remind you: In addition to having most of her mental faculties intact, All There also has a tendency toward impatience and being easily agitated. So, for today's post, let's call her: Easily Agitated.

And now, if you will, imagine playing a round of Euchre with Easily Agitated, Wouldn't Hurt a Fly, and Mr. Nice.

I thought I was being smart - and ending problems before they began - by partnering myself up with Easily Agitated. I mean, I can handle her scowls and jabs when I make stupid plays. Would rather they come my way than be sent to Wouldn't Hurt a Fly.
So we set on to playing cards, and I had the false sense of security that we could play together nicely.
Oh, Karen. When will you learn????
Before we got too far into the first round, Easily Agitated became agitated with Wouldn't Hurt a Fly for playing an incorrect card by mistake. And when Easily thought Wouldn't had repeated the same mistake a few minutes later? She actually picked up the card and threw it back at Wouldn't. Uh, Easily humbled herself quite quickly when she realized her own mistake. And, thankfully, Wouldn't seemed oblivious to Easily's antics.
Of course, through the entire game with all of its drama, Mr. Nice was being just that.
He's such a nice guy!
I think it was his kind demeanor which helped me to not get upset with Easily. I was reminded of a conversation I'd had with another staff member about Easily. She had commented that Easily was probably a really sweet lady in days gone by. Before dementia started setting in and changing her personality. Thus, I kept telling myself the behavior I was seeing probably wasn't coming from her true self. And by the grace of God I was able to extend kindness to her - even when she seemed not to have any for anyone else.
And so I learned another method of covering a person with TLC.
You've gotta give them the benefit of the doubt.

Is there someone in your world who needs you to assume the best of them, even though they may be showing the worst?

TLC at GLC

Did you know yesterday was National Chocolate Day?

Yeah. I didn't either. Until I read about it in the announcements at work.
And it just so "happened" that one of the day's activities was a cooking demonstration of Chocolate No-Bake Cookies.
Coincidence? I think, NOT!

So, as soon as dinner was over I got busy with a few of my favorite friends and I showed them how to prepare those tasty treats. (Most of these women had never made No-Bakes before. It was fun to see how amazed they were that you can NOT BAKE cookies. *smile*)
As you can imagine, the chocolate-y aroma filling the kitchen made our mouths water. And when we sampled the cookies (Still warm. Yummmmm!) everyone was delighted.
But the most delightful part was when I witnessed one particular lady ticking off a mental list of everyone in the building with whom she wanted to share the extra cookies. Oh, she kept me busy running from room to room as I hand-delivered each cookie at her command.
Oh, if you could only have seen the way their faces lit up as I told them we'd just made cookies and wanted to share. Many of them resembled excited kids on Christmas morning who've just been given a great big gift to open. It was beautiful!
And all because one dear woman made sure we shared.

Is there someone in your life upon whom you want to shower some TLC? Why not try sharing a chocolate cookie???

P. S. We're getting Elizabeth back Sunday! And we're whisking her away to take a short family vacation next week. Sooooo, I'll not be posting here until (probably) August 8.
Until then, may the peace of Christ rest upon you, and may His grace sustain you.

TLC at GLC

Oh, what's a girl to do with someone who drives her a little batty?

Especially if the one who does the driving is rather irrational at times. (By no fault of her own, that is. Rather, because her mind isn't what it once was.)

What if the driver is down-right hostile on occasion?

Ah, yes. Such is the scenario I had to handle at GLC this week.
There was an argument in the kitchen when my back was turned, and when I approached the table to discuss the problem - one of the involved parties fled the scene. I was very aware of what had happened, and I knew it really wasn't a big deal. So I approached the flee-er and asked if everything was OK.
She bemoaned the behavior of "the driver," noting that this wasn't the first time such a demeanor had been displayed. And she went on to say she knew the reason "the driver" was so unkind. She said, "Because I am a Christian!" And she shared an anecdote to prove her point.
At which point I looked at my angry friend and I said, "Then you know what we need to do, don't you? We need to love her!"
My friend shared another anecdote, and I responded with, "See? We need to love her. We need to keep on loving her!"
And as I pleaded with my eyes, my friend agreed to the plan. Thus, we went back to the table to continue with our project.

Annnnd, who knows if tomorrow she'll remember our plan?
Ahhh, no worries. Sometimes I think these lessons-learned are more for me than the parties involved in the struggle.
How about you? Is there a "driver" in your life to whom you can apply this TLC?

TLC at GLC

I was playing Uno with five ladies last night after dinner.

I know - that may sound like an easy enough task. But when you have a group of ladies whose memories/capabilities range from "all there" to "slipping" to "hanging on by a thread"?
Well, let's just say it gets complicated.
Especially when "all there" gets easily agitated because "hanging on by a thread" needs things repeated
(a lot!) and she sometimes forgets to call out, "Uno!" when she only has one card left.

So, we're playing along, laughing and enjoying ourselves - when "all there" starts making under the radar jabs at "hanging on." Her eyes are rolling, she's mumbling under her breath, and giving me she-doesn't-know-how-to-play-this-game looks.
Honestly, I wasn't sure "hanging on" even noticed the jabs, but I surely didn't want her feelings to get hurt. So I mouthed to "all there," It's OK. And I hoped she would drop the subject.
I mean, I understood she wanted to play the game. And her personality is such that she doesn't like to wait. So, "hanging on" was testing her patience. But I dearly wanted "all there" to get over herself and just enjoy being with friends. I wanted her to realize the slowness of the game wasn't what mattered. Rather, the relationships around the table were worth every minute.
Then it occurred to me - the truth I had just discovered is true everywhere. Not just in the Community Room when we're playing cards.
And I realized TLC can be shown all over the place by simply coming alongside someone who is having a hard time, and gently guiding them toward their next move. Do you have a green card, or a seven? No? OK. Then pick a card from this pile. Is it green, or a seven? No? Then put it in your hand, and it will be the next person's turn. *smile*
No need for scowling, or putting them down, or making some other sort of jab.
Just smile, and keep playing.

Is there a "hanging on by a thread" in your life?
May you always remember that sometimes TLC is spelled G-R-A-C-E.

TLC at GLC

I'm still shaking my head over a situation which arose this week at GLC.

I'm saddened and ashamed that it happened.

And I am asking God to help me aright it all.

The back-story is: On Monday I was made aware that some of my co-workers felt like I was excluding them. They believed I thought I was "better" than them - because I don't make a habit of stopping and talking to them through the day.
If you know me at all, I trust you know neither of those two scenarios is a possibility.
*First, I never want to exclude anyone. I've been on the outside enough to know how horrible it feels.
*And, second, I don't think I'm better than anybody. My battle with depression still has me fighting with myself just to think I am not worse than everyone!

But I'm still a relative newbie at work, and many people (i.e. those who were having the afore mentioned thoughts) don't know me well enough to know I would never intentionally shut someone out.
Perhaps because I don't make a habit of stopping to visit with them???
And that's the kicker! The main reason I don't chit-chat is because these women usually appear to be so busy. They have lots of work to do. And when I asked them for various things in the beginning of my tenure, I typically felt like I was interrupting and getting in the way. So, I guess I defaulted to doing my best to stay out of the way, and get my own work done.

Only to find out that is exactly what they don't want me to be doing.

As much as it hurt my heart to find out people were feeling this way as a result of my (lack of)behavior, I am so thankful for the one who spoke up. I am so thankful to know the truth.
I have apologized, and I believe misunderstandings have been cleared up. With God's help I intend to cover my co-workers with TLC and assure that they never again feel as though I don't care about them. By His grace I trust I can get past the temptation to beat myself up for this blunder. And when all is said and done, I have a feeling HE's going to grow me through this struggle, too.

How about you? Anyone in your life who you think isn't interested in your TLC?
Take it from me. Love them anyway!

TLC at GLC

My heart is smiling.

If you're friends with me on Facebook, go on over to my page and watch the video I shared Thursday night.

For the rest of you, lemme tell ya 'bout it.

I posted a couple weeks ago about a woman at GLC who is sometimes quite difficult. And about the hope I had in witnessing a positive interaction between her and a care-giver one morning. The entire scene was encouragement for me to not give up trying to reach a person.
Even a hard person.

Fast forward to yesterday afternoon.

I walked into the memory care unit and heard a new-to-us musician playing. The song was fun and upbeat, so I started dancing. A few heads turned to watch me, and I let their attention spur me on to more silliness and dramatic interpretive dance.
Yes, I love performing for these folks. Anything to make them smile.
And that's when I saw it. A great.big.smile on the face of that woman who isn't often very pleasant.
She was looking straight at me, watching me dance, and seemed to be enjoying it right along with everyone else.
That view in itself was enough to make my day. But it got better.
The daughter of one of our residents took a cue from my silliness and started dancing with me. That is, we had our arms around each other, swaying and twirling, and having a bunch of fun.
And when that dance was over?
I decided to take my chances and ask my smiling friend if she would like to dance with me.
She agreed to it - with a smile - and if you can get to my Facebook page, you can watch.
So glad my supervisor had her phone with her and got the video.

Encouragement, once again, my friends:
Never give up reaching out to someone with love. Never, ever give up!

Tee Hee at GLC

OK, so I'm tweaking this week's post a bit.
While I usually write about something touching which happened at work - with the hopes of inspiring us all to look for ways in our lives that we might demonstrate TLC - today I want to share a moment from this week which really just made me laugh.

I was at work Sunday afternoon when one of our new ladies was escorted into the building by someone who had taken her to church. Because she is still learning her way around the building, I offered to walk her back to her apartment. When we got there and went inside, she asked me about a message on her phone which was advising her to check the connection. The phone had no dial tone, so I did some looking around and discovered it wasn't properly connected. However, after I had plugged the line into the wall-jack there was still no dial tone.
I ended up on the phone (My cellphone, that is.) talking to Comcast in an attempt to find out if she had phone service from them. After much ado and phone calls to her sons, we got our answer: Phone service is forthcoming. And, in the meantime, she is to rely on her cellphone.
But...

Her cellphone seemed to have problems. That is, when I called it with mine it wasn't ringing. I noticed, however, that the screen lit up when my call came in so I knew there was a connection somewhere. And decided to check her sound settings.
Sure enough, it was set to "vibrate". So I switched it to ring, rather than vibrate. Then I called the phone with mine, to make sure it would ring.
It did. :)
But...

The ring volume was too low for her to hear well.
So, I adjusted it to "high".
And I called it again to assure everything was good.
It was.
But...

When we were talking on our phones, she discovered she was having a hard time hearing me. So I adjusted the volume for the ear-piece until it was at the appropriate level for her.

When all was said and done, one of her friends (who had come over while I was on the phone with Comcast) indicated the adjustments I had made to the cellphone and said with a chuckle, "Isn't it nice to have young people around who know how to use these things??!!"
I gave a hearty laugh, and asked her - please - to reference me in a statement like that to my kids.
Imagine me, a "young person" who knows "how to use these things."
And I don't even have a smart phone!!! *grin*

TLC at GLC

One of my special friends at GLC is a man who used to live in Mexico. With my (very!) limited Spanish I enjoy greeting him, and try to have short conversations. Of course, I have told him all about Elizabeth - and I plan to bring her in to GLC to meet him when she gets home. So they can both savor a good Spanish conversation.
One of the things this man and I usually end up discussing is Mexican cuisine. Oh, he gets very animated and happy when he talks about his favorite foods. By listening to him speak in detail about ingredients and processes, and by watching his hands as he pantomimes adding spices to the dish he's describing, it is easy to determine that he has prepared more than a few of these delicacies in his day. And in the midst of one such description this week, I got the idea that we should have him prepare one of his dishes for our Cinco de Mayo celebration.
I shared the idea with my supervisor, and she's on board.
Now we just need to look into the logistics to see if we can really make it happen.
And this prospect has me very excited. Not only because I might be able to taste some authentic Mexican food. But because I just cannot wait to see how pleased my friend will be when he has the opportunity to "get in the cocina" and cook. If you could see the way his face lights up every time he starts describing one of his favorite recipes - you would feel my joy, too.

What a delight it will be to see him full of such elation.

Is there someone in your life who has a special hobby or passion? Why not show them some TLC by finding a way for them to engage in that activity in the coming days?

TLC at GLC

Sometimes I get to participate in/provide the TLC at GLC.

And sometimes I have the distinct joy of observing it.

Such is the case with the story I am going to share with you today.

On Monday, a new lady moved into our memory care unit. She had been living at home under the care of her children, and the time had come when they simply could not do it anymore.
So, she came to live with us at GLC.
It was beautiful to see the way so many ladies welcomed our new friend, and their eagerness to have her join in our activities.
Yet sweeter, still, was their genuine concern for her.
This dear woman was very confused on her first day at GLC and continually asked when her children were coming to take her home. She asked other questions which clearly demonstrated the battle she faces with her memory, and the ladies around her wanted so dearly to help. Some started asking when her children were coming, too. While others tried reassuring her that she was in her new home, and everything would be fine.
When I got to work on Thursday, I saw that the scenario had changed significantly. Our new friend had stopped asking about when she was going "home." She seemed comfortable walking around and talking to people. And she came with the rest of the ladies to play Bingo. It was after that game when I got to see another act of TLC on the part of our wonderful residents. Everyone was walking back to their neighborhoods for lunch, and the new lady turned the wrong way. I saw several of the others call her name and point her in the right direction. They were watching out for their new companion.
The beauty of their kindness was transcended only by the grace they poured on her when she acted embarrassed by her mistake.

The folks at GLC are a population of people who easily get discouraged and feel down-hearted because of the struggles they have with their minds. But this week I witnessed women getting outside of themselves and caring for another who needed them. I saw women who have walked the same road come along side a fellow sojourner to help make the trek bearable. It's what friends should do. And seeing their TLC in action made me admire these dear women even more than I already did.

Is there someone in your life who needs a little extra encouragement today?

TLC at GLC

My husband is participating in a fitness competition.
And he is simultaneously battling some kind of sickness.
Which, doesn't bode well for his performance.
Which, is leaving him pretty discouraged.
So, the other day he asked me, "Will you still love me even if I don't make it to Regionals?" I said, "Of course I will." And then I thought to take it a step further. I said, "Brian, I'll still love you even if you stop working out and get all flabby and stuff." I wanted to remind my husband that my love for him does not depend upon his athletic physique or performance, nor upon any other kind of condition or performance.
I love him, because I promised both him and God that I would - some 22 1/2 years ago!

So, all these thoughts about love and "even if" got me thinking about some of the love I see expressed at GLC. I see "children" older than me visiting and doting on moms who can no longer speak to them. I see other "children" holding the hand that once held their's, to guide the one who once guided them. I see a wife tending to the needs of her unable-to-communicate-much husband - who once vowed to provide, protect, and care for her.
I look at these examples of tender, sacrificial love and I realize - back in the day, these folks probably couldn't imagine this is where they'd be "some day."
Yet, here they are.
Still loving.

They all inspire me.

Are you committed to loving the people in your life, "even if"?
Do they have confidence of your unconditional love?

TLC at GLC

When you work with people who are accustomed to being forgetful, who frequently doubt their ability to accomplish tasks, and whose self-esteem is sometimes diminishing - there is almost nothing better than seeing them succeed.

Even at little things.

And that's something I've been able to do at GLC.
See people succeed.
Over the past couple of weeks, I have had several opportunities to work on jigsaw puzzles with different residents. Some have approached the task saying they're no good at puzzles. Others love doing puzzles but realize their minds "aren't what they used to be," and - therefore - think they won't be able to help much.
Ahhhh, but I am not so easily deterred!
Besides, puzzles have a sort of magnetic affect on me. I am drawn to them, and will jump at the chance to work on one with somebody.
Anyway, I have experienced the special challenge of convincing people who are doubting themselves that they really can succeed at a task. Sometimes I have to nearly sit on my hands to keep them from grabbing puzzle pieces and putting them together, but in the process I am seeing residents delight in getting a job done. We look at the open spaces, discuss what the missing piece probably looks like, then search the table until we find that piece. Always, I let the resident pick up the piece and put it in place. And, always, there is a proud smile on their face when the piece fits.
During the time we're sitting at the table looking for puzzle pieces, we also spend time talking. About today and "yesterday." About life philosophies. About lunch. About whatever comes to mind. (Sometimes repeatedly. *wink*) And that's a joy.
But the greatest joy by far, is the pleasure I see on the residents' faces with each piece they snap into place, and the little celebration we have when the project is completed.

How can you build somebody's confidence by setting them up for success today?

TLC at GLC

I had the most delightful conversation with a charming man at GLC on Monday.
Well, really, it was about a thirty to forty-five-second conversation which we had anywhere from 15 to 20 times. And it just kept getting more delightful with each repeat.

To be honest, things started out slowly and there was a time when I wondered if I'd be better off just giving up attempting to talk to this man. But once we got past trying to identify his interests, and discovered that he had gone to a Catholic school (which he really liked) in Lansing, we were on a roll. I was able to pinpoint two Catholic schools which he thought *might* have been where he attended. But he wasn't sure. After a few minutes the name of another one seemed to slip out of his mouth and when I repeated it - he was sure that was the school he had enjoyed for so many years.
From there, we were trying to figure out the name of the street upon which he had grown up. And, sure enough, a short time later he said the name of a street which I know to be near his school. He determined that street was the location of his childhood home.

And, so, our conversation began:
Him telling me the name of the school he attended and liked a lot, and the name of the street upon which he grew up. (With me reminding him of the street name as necessary.)
Me commenting that the street was very close to the school, and asking if he walked to school.
Him confirming that, yes, he did walk to school every day. And liked it. Then asking me the name of the street I lived on in Lansing.
Me, answering.
Him repeating it. "Yes. Clemens."
And, somehow, that always got us back to talking about the school he liked so much.

Truthfully, I do not know how long the two of us sat together repeating that conversation. But I do know every second of it was time well-spent. When I first sat down with this man, he seemed a bit unsure of me. But by the time I had to leave he was smiling ear-to-ear, shaking my hand, and thanking me for visiting. And, while I don't know if he'll remember me the next time we see each other, at least now I know how to get him engaged in a conversation.

Is there someone with whom you have been having trouble communicating? My hope is this little story will give you the inspiration to persevere with TLC until you encounter a break-through.

TLC at GLC

I had the very fun opportunity yesterday to sing at GLC.
My boss plays the piano, so we teamed up to provide a musical treat.
That is, we were hopeful it would be a treat. *wink*

We did several songs from yesteryear which the residents knew, and to which they could sing along. The songs were interspersed with stories, jokes, laughter, and some silliness - all with the goal of bringing joy to the listeners. We ended our program by singing a hand full of classic hymns.
Singing the hymns gave me opportunity to testify to God's love, and His care for us in our every-day struggles and trials. I know there are mixed backgrounds of faith in the men and women at GLC - from pastor's wives, to no religious interest at all - and I count it a privilege whenever I get to share my belief in any form. So I was particularly happy that we sang these songs of faith.

But it got better.

When we were finished with the music I saw someone waving her arm in the air. This woman has significant memory impairments, which affect her communication and social interactions. She is very troubled, and is frequently in need of help - somebody to take her here, or there; assistance in sitting up; answers to questions which she's asked a hundred times, already. So as I approached her, I was expecting to hear a request for some such assistance.
But that request never came.

Instead, she simply asked, "Will you pray for me?"

If you know me at all, you know my heart leaped at the opportunity.
I took her hands in mine and cried out to God on her behalf. Confident that HE was listening. Certain that HE sees her. Assured that HE will meet her needs.
And I will continue to pray for her - in and out of her presence.
Because there is power in the Name of JESUS.

To whom can you show TLC today, by praying for them?

TLC at GLC

Last Sunday in church, the pastor closed his sermon by reminding us about Matthew 25:31-40, which reads in part:

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

The pastor's point of application gave me pause to think of how I might do something for Jesus this week, by doing something "for the least of these brothers and sisters of [His]." Of course, my mind quickly went to GLC and the precious brothers and sisters who call it 'home.' Because God gives me opportunities to do something for Him every day I'm there.
Let's see.
This week I filed His nails when they were too long. I painted them when the previous manicure was chipping off. I sang with Him when His nerves were upset. I laughed with Him when He wanted to be silly. And I held His hand when He needed comforting.

It is an absolute joy to love and serve Jesus by pouring TLC onto the men and women at GLC!

TLC at GLC

OK, so this week at work, I wanted to cry.

Honestly.

We had a staff meeting early on, at which time I learned a little more about Alzheimer's disease. It's cause and progression, and the ways it manifests in a person's life. And when I saw it playing out before my eyes the next day, I simply wanted to cry.

I sat at the head of the table calling Bingo in the usual way. "B, twelve." *pause* "B, one-two." But I found the need to wait until I called the next number to be longer than I'm used to. Because the dear woman to my left took a long time to look over the numbers on her card. And the dear woman on my right took a long time, too. Even though my co-worker was right there with her, helping with the search. And reminding her each time she had a number that she should place a chip over it.
That cognitive loss and the inability to quickly identify numbers - I learned Tuesday - is one of the assaults of dementia.
But not everyone was so slow. And one of the ladies who was quick to place her chips wasted no time in hollering at my sweet friend when she was going too slow.
Oh, the heart break of seeing my friend deflate at each scolding.
The loss of self-control and social graces is another dementia casualty which I discovered at the staff meeting.
I sat at the Bingo table calling numbers slowly and deliberately, as I watched grown adults who -through no fault of their own - struggled to comprehend and find numbers, and toiled to contain their angst. I was alternately holding back tears, and asking God, Why? Why is such a terrible disease allowed to steal life???
Then it was as if HE said to me, Yours is not to know the reasons why. Yours is simply to love these people. And I understood. God has placed plenty of smart people in the medical field to research and seek a cure for this disease. And HE has placed me at GLC to love on those who suffer with it until that time comes.

So, when Miss Speedy became anxious, I told her it was OK - that we had time enough to wait.
And when the ladies to my right and left found and covered a number, I congratulated them on the fine job they were doing.
At the end of the game, we exchanged hugs and kisses and "I love you"s.  And, although no visible signs of memory or social improvement were made, the smiles on everyone's faces gave a clear indication that hearts were happy.

Mission accomplished.
*****************************************************************************************
Are there people in your life who struggle to meet the expectations of others around them?
How can you respond in ways which will build them up?

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*