Love Notes

 Happy Thanksgiving! A few weeks ago, I was walking from my office to the copy machine and through the glass windows of the Enrichment Room, resident Paul was waving to me.  His excitement was a bit out of character, so I went in. What Paul wanted me to experience was resident Tim singing.   Cathy Nagle had cued up the karaoke machine.  Tim had chosen a beautiful, emotion-filled song – and he sung it with grace. I wish you could have been there.  This is the joy you help create. On Thanksgiving and every day, we are grateful for all you do.  THANK YOU.

Last month, I had originally drafted a note about our critical caregiver shortage.  I planned it to read something like this: We all see it – “help wanted” signs everywhere… This scarcity of modest-wage employees is also our biggest challenge…We have increased wages (multiple times), offered incentive, and piloted other innovations... You already know that some of our leaders are working in homes to cover caregiver shifts… We will continue to work to solve this problem, but as evidenced by the examples above, there are bigger forces at work… we ask you to unleash the biggest force – pray. The winds took me in another (happier) direction to what I ultimately sent – and yet, with the grace of God, we’ve hired more people in the last month than we have in the last four combined.  The crisis is not over, but we are in better shape.   I do invite you to pray for our residents – that they remain safe and comforted.  Pray for our caregivers – that they stay strong and ...

You may be familiar with the famous poem “Casey at the Bat”.  In 1888, Ernest Thayer wrote this dramatic narrative about a fictional baseball game.  The poem speaks to the joy of the game and the hope that exists until the final out is made.  In a surprising twist, that poem concludes with “there is no joy in Mudville – mighty Casey has struck out.”   Recently, Angels’ Place residents returned to the ballgames of Miracle League.  Like in the poem, it was a joy for the men and women to play the game they love with the people they love.  Unlike Casey, however, none of the participants in these games are physically mighty.  And also, unlike Casey, when Robert came to the plate with the bases loaded, he did not strike out.  In fact, he hit the ball farther than he ever had.   A home run.  The miracle of Miracle League. After a year of challenges there was pure joy in Southfield. Your support to Angels’ Place makes homes and services ava...

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many fine people.  Fortunately, I’m pretty good at remembering situations and faces; I am not as adept with names (but I work at it). For two Angels’ Place residents, Katie and Kate, I find the “which-one-is-which” especially challenging. But, they are always kind to remember my face and my name.  They both give me a “shout out” every time they are in the office. Last week Katie and Kate were in an enrichment session with Sister Joann and a couple volunteers.   They played games, worked on academics, practiced sign language, and sang songs. When I poked my head into the room, they were both anxious to say hi!  (Of course, Kate also wanted to engage in a conversation about her beloved Detroit Red Wings).   As the need for isolation loosens, Katie and Kate emitted pure joy in being there and being together. You make this friendship possible and we hope you will experience this same happiness in your day.

 Earlier this week, Barbara Urbiel and I were discussing the annual Angels’ Place golf and tennis outing (Pine Lake CC on July 12). After the meeting, my mind wandered a couple miles west from Pine Lake, down Commerce Road, to our Maxwell Home.  This, of course, was the first Angels’ Place – opened almost thirty years ago. Recently, James Klinger, one of the guys who lived there passed away.  His death continues to be mourned especially by his housemates and those who cared for him. And yet, in his death, we see the beauty of what you have created. It is easy to imagine the difficult, faith-filled decisions made about our residents before they were even born.  In that same spirit, it is our sacred privilege to care for them as they near the end of their natural life.  James lived his live with dignity and resilience; he lived his final days in peace in his Angels’ Place home. You make this possible.