Nazareth Home
Greetings from Day 1 of the whimsical 60/20 Tour, the project that has taken on a life of its own. Our kickoff at the Pioneer Network conference earlier this week was a symbolic place to begin, as the entire Pioneer organization has been an ardent supporter of ours since our inception. Our first official community stop was today at Nazareth Home in Louisville, Kentucky, a magical community driven by a magical woman, (and good friend) Mary Haynes. Mary was kind enough to provide me with a hat so that I properly celebrate the derby-themed activities she and her staff had planned for the day. We rolled up at midday in the 60/20 Tour van and met our first two Cruisers and Crooners – Ms. Henley and Mr. Groves. Each took separate rides with Mary as the consistent presence. Ms. Henley was articulate, compassionate, fun, and most importantly, overflowing with wisdom. What she said about faith, her family and hope was priceless. What blew me away and opened my eyes to the potential importance of this journey was the reality that she is a resident in their memory care community. My pre-judgment was that she had to be independent to best be able to participate in our Cruising and Crooning activity. So, a lesson to be learned over and over in this journey for me: don’t make any judgments, we all have a lot left in the tank.
Speaking of things left in tanks…one “minor” logistical issue was running out of gas, thankfully while in the parking lot of Nazareth! The gas gauge was screwy (we just bought this van). That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. Luckily, the tag team of Beth Sanders from LifeBio and Sister Maureen from Nazareth came to my rescue; Beth delivered the gas and Sister Maureen delivered the prayers Rumor has it she’s praying for me every day. Thank you, Sister!
Awesome first day!
