This morning, as I write this,
it is December 1st. As this is the month to count our
blessings, do some reflecting on the past year and enjoy the
season, I can't help but think back to where our group was a
year ago.
In December of last year we had
22 members in our group. As of today we have 27 members.
Sadly, in the past year we have had one member pass away and
that makes a total of 3 we have lost since we formed.
We have changed buildings 3
times in the year. We were in Beaver Hall until June, where we
had a large activity room and an office. We moved to a
warehouse type building until October where we again had a
large working area and an office. Yesterday we had an Open
House at our newest area.
In this area we now have a huge
kitchen, large office area and activity room. Scattered in
these large rooms are a few smaller areas that have allowed us
to bring some dreams to reality. A native village - complete
with tepee, campfire, hides and a native woman - sits in one
area. In another room we have Nunavut, sort of. This room is
reminiscent of a snoezelen room with a twist.
The night before the open house
we were talking about all the work that we had put in to this
area. We hoped the members of our group understood what it all
meant as sometimes they are not able to convey their
understanding or their gratitude. How wrong we were.
One of the workers was telling
us after their tour how the Inuit gentleman she assists walked
into the room, took one look at it and started talking about
his 'Momma". At the time he lived with his mother, it was
in the north. He had tied it all together.
Sometimes we get so involved in
what we are doing we miss the quiet thank yous. Thank you can
be given in many different ways and you just have to look for
it. It might be a smile, a word or a gesture. So, to that
gentleman who was reminded of home and family by simply
entering the room we had made…you're welcome.
That was one of those moments
that money can't buy.
We now have areas of quiet and
relaxation, activity and noise or nothing but music or
reading. This will appeal to everyone's needs.
There are too many people to
thank for allowing us to utilize this building. Those who
assisted in many ways, please know how much all of us
appreciate it.
Please give us a call and make
arrangements to visit our new area. You will be very
pleasantly surprised at what you find.
The Circle of Friends group and
Barb and I would like to wish all of you the best in this
Christmas season. May you and yours have a safe and happy
holiday season.
