There is no Place Like Home or a Nest

The adult family home setting is wonderful for residents – especially my residents, who are developmentally disabled. Besides the environment being homey, it is filled with love, caring and joy.

During the rainy days of spring, the Lincoln Park residents enjoyed hearing me act out the “Wizard of Oz” – especially the voice of the munchkins and the Wicked Witch of the West. Was that Toto that barked?

The residents then participated in a “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” sing-a- long: “Oh, somewhere over the rainbow bluebirds fly…”

With the sun shining and a warm breeze of summer, the Lincoln Park residents listened for birds flying across the blue sky. They looked through the binoculars, searching for birds in the trees at Lincoln Park.

Volunteers from Living Stones Ministries Rock On! cut the remaining yarn from their 500-knitted and loomed hats for the homeless last winter in downtown Seattle for the Lincoln Park residents to spread among areas around the park for the birds to build their nest.

The residents and team members had so much fun spreading the yarn that a family asked if they could join us. Then the family sat down with the residents and visited.

Please contact me if you are interested working in my adult family home. I have a couple of openings for CNAs and HCAs. Share the joy!

Simple yet a Good Reminder

Start your day off right and share the message.

I loved the reminder on my morning drive to work: "Love More" and "Jesus didn't reject people." Two simple yet powerful messages to start the day.

Gratitude for Giving New Life

Charlie's on Broadway had been opened for years. It closed last June and reopened with new owners, who reopened with the same name with a refurbished establishment while keeping some of the original history intact giving it new life.

The old maintained in a Seattle neighborhood establishment with a new staff.

An example of the level of customer service: I do not have cable television, and the staff would 

allow me to eat my dinner at a table in the billiards room so I could watch the Indiana Pacers play. 

I highly recommend Charlie's.

It was "warm" in my apartment with no air conditioning. So I walked to Charlie’s to enjoy a veggie wrap with water for hydration and to cool off as I read my book at the bar.

The unexpected happened: an elderly woman had a medical emergency, requiring CPR, IV, etc. She was taken to the hospital where she hopefully was given new life like this long-time establishment.

I give gratitude for the first responders but mostly for the staff and patrons. One of the first responders asked this woman's elderly friend and neighbor if she would like a chaplain. I said that I was a chaplain, and I sat with her. Charlie's allowed me to make her a cup of tea and provide a listening ear. Patrons came by and hugged this elderly woman.

As I left, a young woman, who sat at the end of the bar shared a story with expletives before this unexpected happening. (I liked her animated personality.) She stopped me and shared how she looked at me and began to pray, and she does not believe in prayer. She grabbed and hugged me.

I exited Charlie’s and almost walked directly into a man on the sidewalk. His t-shirt read, "Pray well with others." I smiled at him.

I had not scheduled my calendar correctly for the weekend. I believed I was suppose to meet my friends at the Greekfest on Saturday night, and it was on Friday evening. I was in the unexpected yet right place due to my blunder.

The below photos were from my previous visits to Charlie’s.

One of the chefs and his fiancée 

A selfie in motion with one of the great servers.