Community Caregivers

There's a house on the other side of our back fence, where several people with special needs live. It reminds me of the Residences Jeff lived in for the nine years after he "Moved On" from home, at age 18. A woman is sweeping the porch. A man is enjoying the backyard swing. Yesterday several people were painting their side of our fence. There is always something going on! A family of residents and the Lifetime Assistance Inc. staff are enjoying the sunshine together, as well as dealing with someone who vies for attention by roaring like a lion. (Which sounds like something Jeff might have done, too!!!) I'd like to wiggle my nose and create a Gate I could walk through, and remind them again of Jeff and friends who used to gather for the Seeds group at a local church.~~~Maybe it's a Time-Gate I'm looking for as I remember the great times which we also enjoyed with Jeff's old friends?! (Photo is a view of the house from my backyard, at dusk on a cold night.)

Smiles for Caregiving Memories

 
"Jessica?" At her grandfather's funeral today years tumbled over one another as the young woman and the golden-haired toddler she was carrying traded places and Jessica was again the baby in the story, "Jeff's Sense of Humor," in Journey With Jeff.Jeff was a teenager then, just shy of a year since moving from home to live in a Residence for people with special needs. "There's a baby next door," I told Jeff during his four-day Easter vistit at home. "Want to go and meet Jessica?" "Baby, Mom?" he asked. "Next door?" "Yes, Sue B. invited us over to see her granddaughter. Can you say, Jessica?" After a few attempts, we decided to shorten it to 'Jess.' Sue introduced Jeff to four-month-old Jessica, who was alert and smiling at everyone, including him. "Cute!" he said to Sue, pointing at the baby. In a few minutes he left the stool beside Jessica to have the cup of hot chocolate Sue offered him. The baby began to fuss so her mother gave her a pacifier. Jeff grinned! "Look Mom, a mute!" A mute? Then I burst out laughing and had to explain. "You know how Jeff loves all the instruments, and how a mute goes into a trumpet or trombone to soften the music? This, then, is a baby's mute!" Everyone laughed at Jeff's joke, so he repeated it over again and again with a very wide grin, "Yeah, Mom, a mute!"~~~I hadn't seen Jessica for about five years. We hugged, and she mentioned the comparison between today and years ago. Sue B., her grandmother, has the CD "Journey With Jeff," but not the book. So, as I left the family's home later that afternoon the people were looking thru the pages to find the story about Jessica. Thank You, Lord, for good memories and warm reunions!

Brenda and John~~Caregivers

When I found Brenda on my Facebook page, I was delighted because she and her husband, John have long been important caregivers in our family's lives. They took particularly good care of Jeff when he was part of the Lifetime Assistance world for nine years, at his residence and in his work program. Then,(captured in the above photo) when Jeff was in the hospital for the last three weeks of his life, they often visited, listened to the joy of his music with him, and made him laugh. Brenda and John still pop up every so often in our lives. I asked Brenda what she remembered about Jeff. She wrote these details: "Mitch Miller, drums, walks; his love for everyone; so many special memories. He had a smile that lit up the night. He is thought of often, and always with a smile. Thank you for sharing him with the rest of the world." We were blessed by so many people!