OBSERVATIONS

OBSERVATIONS
I have just returned to Quail Creek, from visiting Marie at Laurel Creek. I accompanied Marie from her room, down the hallways to the very nice dining room. The Staff has gone all out to make the Holiday Season as nice as possible for the residents. They have gone to a lot of work, decorating the dining room. The Christmas tree is especially attractive. They had Christmas carols playing on the P.A. system. At that moment, Frank Sinatra was singing, “I’ll Be Home For Christmas.” The music stirred my dormant - gut-wrenching emotion that I had experienced during the Christmas of 1942. I was just out of Bombardiering School, and had been assigned to my new B-17 Flying Fortress crew. I was attending Midnight Mass in Cut Bank, Montana. It was my first Christmas away from home. “Home” was over 2,000 miles away in Ypsilanti, as I listened to that carol 67 years ago.
Back to reality, and Laurel creek. I particularly looked at the expressions of the four ladies sitting at Marie’s dining table while the song was playing. I was looking for some sign - however slight - of their past memories of Christmas - thoughts which might have been triggered by Frank’s inspirational carol. I saw none. Their stoic expressions were the same. Apparently, there was no connect. I don’t think it was a hearing problem, as the volume was pretty loud. Then, I wondered just what thoughts that their tortured minds were processing at the moment. I will never know.
As I was cutting through the beautifully decorated Community Center, on my way back, I ran into Mary Anne. She is a very pleasant, warm and personable lady. I first met her while playing bocce, and subsequently, while playing bridge upstairs in the Community Card Room. Mary Anne was sitting on her motorized scooter, and was wearing a beautiful Christmas- red coat. I couldn’t help but notice how warm appearing and pretty it was. I commented on her coat. Mary Anne asked me if I knew how old it was. To me that was a “loaded” question. Similar to Marie asking me if the new dress made her look too heavy? I safely answered her by saying “No”. She said 40 years! (It looked like new!) I told her that it was a good thing that she hung on to it, because now it was back in style. She seemed pleased with my response. I think that my mind was reflecting on “coats,” because, yesterday, my youngest daughter Sue, took me to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, where we donated five of Marie’s nice winter coats to be given to the less fortunate. RCL - 12/19/09.