It's the Little Things

Capturing the joy in every day doesn’t always mean fulfilling a lifelong dream. Sometimes, extraordinary joy comes from the most ordinary things. We asked our volunteers and staff to share some examples:

• Hospice volunteer Angela was looking for a way to connect with an elderly woman on our program suffering from severe dementia. Acting on a tip from the family, Angela started bringing a strawberry milkshake to the older woman each week. “It may not seem like a big thing,“ says Angela, “But it means a lot to her. I can tell by the smile on her face. She enjoys every last drop!”
• Retired FCPS teacher Betty Jordan hosted weekly Girls’ Nights from her room at the Kline House. The group would share popcorn and soda, watch movies, tell stories and enjoy each other’s company. “The ability to continue this tradition during the last months of her life gave Betty a lot of joy,” said Kline House Manager Katrina Wilson. “And that’s what we are here for.”
• “Yesterday I took my patient on an outing to the Select Seconds thrift shop in Downtown Frederick. She had a wonderful time shopping and trying on clothes. After a little over an hour, she had a nice little pile of merchandise. When we returned home, she said that was the nicest outing she had had since she moved to Frederick. The day before, she had baked some banana bread and gave me a piece to take home. Very nice!”
• “During my visit with my patient, she was resting quietly. Although she did not speak to me, she did look directly at me and smiled several times. I read to her from the short story "A Winter Dream" by F. Scott Fitzgerald and a small book of poems. It appeared she enjoyed hearing my voice. I also played a Frank Sinatra cd while I spoke with her about the tunes he was singing.”