Signature HealthCARE of Erin
The tour wouldn’t be complete without a visit to Signature HealthCARE, an organization that has culture change and thinking “outside the box” embedded in their DNA. They have always been comfortable pushing the envelope. And you never know what Angie McAllister will be up to next. From baseball games to Disney World trips, she treats her elders with an attitude of ‘why not?’. A thought leader and friend for many years, Angie quickly convinced me to point the 60/20 van toward Signature at Erin. What’s a few hundred-mile diversion between friends?
Lisa Moore, who runs the programming at the community, greets me at 10 am Saturday. She has rounded up Ms. Sykes and Ms. Mobley for the visit. I like traveling in the South, everybody calls me Mr. Jack or Mr. York, such class down here! It’s a lovely Cruise and Croon, cranking out “When the Saints Go Marching In” through the streets of Erin. Ms. Mobley even offered some sage wisdom for my kids. We also stop by Nan’s diner and Tammy, who works as a cook there and (like everyone else in the small town), knows the good folks who work at Signature, climbs in the van for a hug with the ladies. I love local diners; they will be a mainstay on this adventure!
Over the weekend, I take a glorious drive through Tennessee, Kentucky and Illinois, working my way to Missouri. This whole trip reminds me of being a 10-year-old on the drives our family used to take from California to Nebraska – Mom, Dad, and us 5 York kids in a big brown station wagon with no air conditioning. I loved it and am reliving it! So much to write about on the journey as I move from state to state, so many thoughts of things to be thankful for over the last 60 years, and passions to dream about in the future. I love being 60! I find a secluded shaded tree on the banks of the mighty Mississippi, spend five hours musing and writing without another soul in sight and the river as my only companion. Then I do my best Huck Finn imitation, my head nods to the left and I take a healthy nap. Man, I love this country!
