I spent this friday on one of my clinicals. We were assigned to go to The Courtyard at Jamestown. Its an assisted living facility. So not sick patients, just ones that require a little help. So when we arrive they need four of us to go the Enhanced Care wing..... Of course i get nominated. At first i stressed, but then they told us it was the Alzheimer's residents. So i was like, Ok, i know this, no big..... or so i thought.
I spent the morning getting my residents up and dressed and showered. . . Some of them had their little apartments decorated with pictures and shadow boxes at their doors, letters and pictures from grandkids and just little knick knacks here and there to help ya figure out what they were like years ago. So the day was going well so far... all the residents meet out in the little common area and have breakfast and do activities and they were just too fun. It was awesome to just spend time talking to them and looking at a book they've already shown you twice, introducing myself a few times, but have almost everyone of them tell me they loved me... So i was doin good. i was proud of myself for handling it that well... Then one of the residents came out, he had apparently stayed up late so they didn't wake him until like 11.. He was wearing a pair of white sneakers, some slick pants, and a striped polo shirt; just like the one that john always used to wear...
REALLY!?!?!?! are you kidding me?...
i mean, it shouldn't have been a big deal, but it was. a thousand emotions ran through my brain the rest of the day... Guilt for the days i was impatient. Gratitude for the fact we were able to keep john home. Sad for the residents who didn't have family to come see them... it was just crazy... luckily my shift ended early... so i got in my car and just cried... hadn't done that for awhile... but it was so strange. I thought about papa john most of the day... how funny he was clear up until the end. . . how lucky my siblings and i were to have him as our dad... he was amazing.
so i don't know why i needed to post this, probably didn't, but i just wanted to make sure everyone knows to cherish what they have... you truly never know.
jana might kill me for the picture, but thats the dang shirt.....
