Today, a friend came along with me to deliver the flowers to strangers. He is a proud WW II veteran and was wearing his Navy hat. He served in Okinawa. We picked up the flowers in Philadelphia, stopped for a coffee at McDonalds in Germantown, gave out three bouquets there and went on to a Genesis community to pass out two dozen palettes of colorful blossoms. He is an accomplished harmonica player as well as a great singer.
“Trisha, I have a thought. What if I practiced a few songs from the good old days and then the next time we go, I can play the harmonica just as a sort of announcement that the flowers are coming in?” What a great idea? Then, I thought what if he played “Oh, When the Saints Go Marching In.” Maybe improvise a little bit and have the residents sing “Oh, When the Flowers Are Coming In.”
The harmonica, the petals and blooms and a great singer….what a natural way to ease the anxieties of someone in a nursing home!
The Happy Flower Day Project 