September was a busy month. I visited three different locations and have received more requests to visit.
I visit two senior living communities once or twice a month: Radford Green in Lincolnshire and Gurnee Meadows in Gurnee. I find the more often I visit, the more at ease I become. More residents and staff recognize and want to visit with me. They also feel more comfortable petting me. On each of these visits, I hear happy reminiscences.
I also visited the REACH Adult Day Program at the Center for Enriched Living in Riverwoods. This was only my second visit, so folks didn’t know me very well but seemed very happy to see me. For two of the residents who were wheelchair-bound and had severe physical disabilities, my handlers brought me alongside of the wheelchairs. I sat up very high, and one of the staff members lifted the left arm of each resident and put it on my head so they could feel my soft fur. This made each of them smile. The staff member commented that these residents felt great joy when they were able to touch me.
The third location was a veterans event (the fifth this summer) in Harvard, IL, called the American Travelling Tribute, a reproduction of the Viet Nam Memorial Wall. I am told it is nearly the same size as the original in Washington, D.C. There were many other memorial boards with information about the Korean War and other military conflicts. I had a chance to visit with veterans and members of the public who were reading and thinking about these wars, and were perhaps remembering family and friends who were involved.
Praise the Lord for all these opportunities to serve people in His Name.
Be in touch, peace,
Asher