I finally dropped off the stuffed animals at your door today. I hope they stay dry in the rain! Thank you for accepting them. I have been looking at your website again, and wondering if there was any other way to help. I am very active in my church, among the things I am involved in, I run the youth group. I thought maybe I could have my kids collect more stuffed animals for you, or make the tissue paper corsages you spoke of, or maybe collect other things? If you are interested, please let me know, I’m sure you have guidelines. Also, I am not directly involved, but our church  has a needleworkers group that I know do a lot of knitting and crocheting items for local hospices, homes, etc. If you have guidelines for those kinds of items, I could see if our group would be interested/able to make items for you. I think what you are doing is wonderful.

Sincerely,

Karin

Do you need any lap blankets?

Alfreda

Hi Alfreda,

Yes, we can always use clean, new and nearly new lap blankets. The residents love them. Thanks so much.

We spoke on the phone back in late Fall after I saw an article about your efforts in The Reporter. I just wanted to follow up and let you know that I am going to be doing a collection this Saturday to, hopefully, gather some more new and gently-used stuffed animals for your Stories for Seniors program.  I did a blog post about the program recently, too, which you can find here: http://northpennunderten.blogspot.com/2011/12/special-assignment-awaits-your-kids.html

Can you let me know when a good time would be for me to drop off the animals I collect Saturday? I can drop them off one day next week if that works for you.

Talk to you soon!

His mom was excited to tell me that he had collected 100 stuffed animals and about 15 blankets. And, that the family would like to accompany me, on Christmas Eve to deliver the canine creatures to a nursing home in Philadelphia.

We arrived at about the same time and it sure looked like a lot more than 100 stuffed animals. When they actually counted them, they had 413 stuffed animals. And these were not any just plain old run-0f-the- mill stuffed animals – these were big, cuddly and so soft. It looked like they had 13 trash bags filled to overflowing. Pups, horses and all kinds of paws that reminded the residents of a former pet.

I know that they are a very close-knit family because Jake told me that his aunts helped out a lot with his project.

We walked in together and started passing them out in the breakfast area. These two adorable children were so sweet and kind. No nervousness, no fear of the new faces staring at them. Just two happy-go-lucky kids on a mission to bring joy with bags of shiny black fur, floppy ears, and black button noses.

As some residents held the stuffed animals, we knew it was love at first sight. We saw a few mile-wide smiles and smothering kisses.

Jake and Emmie knew intuitively who needed attention and just what kind of attention they needed. Jake smiled and the little sister watched her big brother and did the same. I guess we passed out about 50 stuffed animals in the activity areas and then the director told us about the many people who could not get out of their beds. The mom, dad and two youngsters went from room-to-room bringing joy to the bed-bound residents. Probably another 50 more.

Hi Staci, Lennie, Jake and Emmie,

Oh what a wonderful experience it was to have all of you with me on Christmas Eve. I couldn’t believe all of the bags of stuffed animals – all in absolutely perfect condition. Brand new, practically and all of the beautiful blankets, too. I just loved watching Jake and Emmie interact so lovingly with everyone. The tenderness that they showed to each resident was so beautiful to watch. Your children are so loved by you…and they know how to show love to others. I am so grateful for your help with the project and so happy that you came with me. Please come anytime! I know that all of your visits to the rooms just put smiles on the faces of the lonely people. You are the best!!!! I am wishing you a very happy holiday and a wonderful New Year!

With gratitude and admiration,

Trisha

Dear Trisha,

Thank you for such beautiful sentiments, Trisha! We all had a wonderful experience with you and the residents! We have been talking about it all weekend, and Jake called his grandparents that day to tell him about his day. Thank you for the opportunity.

Staci

Have a happy and healthy new year as well!

Dear Staci,

Your family is just so wonderful. Watching your sweet and beautiful children just warmed my heart. They are truly beautiful, inside and out. A credit to you and their grandparents. How about when Jake stood in the front by himself and told about his project and introduced you? And how his sweet little Emmie watched him and followed his lead – both smiling for two hours – they sure brought sunshine into that place!!!!! Loved having you with me and watching the kids do their magic!

I think that we all had a sense of fulfillment on Christmas Eve. I loved the lesson that this mom and dad were teaching their children – about acts of service. As I looked around at the residents, I wondered: Who is lonely, homesick, and too shy to socialize? Who wants to go home to a family? And who is wondering if it was a mistake to come to live here?

Emmie and Jake spoke soothingly and softly. I think that the minds of the residents drifted back to happier days.

Kristen’s husband is a military guy and in the past she has provided me with little American flags. I use them because we open our program with the Pledge of Allegiance and I play a video of Celine Dion singing God Bless America. We then thank all of the men and women who have ever served in the United States Armed Services. And we thank all of the family members who have waited, worried and prayed back on the homefront.

So along with the decorated bags and the note cards that said FAITH, HOPE, FAMILY AND LOVE, she brought me a new supply of little flags. And I needed them. Why? Because they seem to disappear. The folks like holding them just as they did when they were in grade school. When you were the special kid who got to stand in the front of the room, holding the flag…….and now they all are the special kids holding Kristen’s little flags…but when I go to collect them, they don’t want to give them up!

People in their 80′s want to take the flags back to their rooms. So, Kristen brought me 24 more.

I asked each resident to tell me what the note card message meant to them: Faith, Hope, Love, Family.

One lady said, I got the cards that say FAMILY. What that means to me is that I no longer have any family. We used to have great times. I had a big basement with a fireplace. I used to cook and we would have big parties. So many cousins and aunts and uncles and neighborhood people, too. They are all gone now.

So, what can you say? Oh, you can’t have the flag. I need it for my next program.

Of course not…….they love the flag. They love what it means. The deep patriotism that they felt when they lived through WWII. When they lost a brother in the Korean War. When they lost their son in Vietnam. When they watch a loved one suffer with the effects of Agent Orange. These flags are not just flags. They are symbols of the trials and tragedies they have endured in their lives. The flags are very important to them. One has a grandson with wounds from an explosion in Iraq. And another one loved a soldier who had a wound to the eye, that experienced a permanent vision disability that shattered his dreams for a good future.

The flag is a a reminder that defending your country and the human rights of others is a part of being an American soldier or Marine. The residents will hold that flag dear to them ’til the end. And Kristen and her kids have given them a special gift – a little flag.

Kristen and her kiddies brought red beads and bells that jingled and jangled as we sang Christmas songs. And the bell necklaces were all worn happily,  and jingled and jangled as they walked out of the activity room, or wheeled out of the activity room….with a pile of Christmas presents on their laps, all donated by the people who read my blog or heard of the project from their friends.

This particular group is not poor, and live in a upscale retirement community. But,  that doesn’t mean that they do not appreciate copper tin ornaments in the shapes of gingerbread men and stars, note paper that says Faith and hand lotions, cookies, tissues, Christmas cards, and sugarless candies.

And they all left the room with memories shared – of the times that they took their kids to Breakfast with Santa, celebrated a grandchild’s Christmas birthday on Long Island, fed the ducks on the icy pond, vacationed with the family in a log cabin on Lake Michigan, and attended a Christmas Eve  worship service at a Baptist church, even though they were Catholic. Little exchanges that they didn’t know about each other. Little things that made them laugh. Little things that made me glad that I was there with them.

In the spirit of giving and receiving, I think that Operation Secret Santa was a grand success. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Christmas on Lindbergh Mountain – The Untold Story of Santa’s Magic on Christmas Eve

Available as a download and also as a book on audio CD.

When I was 12-years-old, I lived in Germany during the war. We were Jewish. Our neighbors were Nazis. My mother saved money for me to have a safe passage by boat to England. I went by myself. Many years later, that family sent word to me that they were glad that I survived and that I was safe.

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