Greetings from Aleia at the Lake House!
Robert and I have been here in Rochester for 21 days now. Lake Ontario continues to offer immeasurable beauty in every moment. Colors and mood change rapidly. The weather here has been unseasonably cool so the flower blossoms are holding on longer. On our arrival there were huge trees with white flowers against a cold, gray sky. It was like entering fairy land. Here by the lake, the lilacs are just now opening. There are brightly colored tulips, pink dogwoods, deep purple lilacs, and delicate white cherry blossoms everywhere.
On a daily basis, we see geese, swans, seagulls and ducks. On lucky days, we see the gosling chicks waddling after their parents. We have seen eagles, hawks, and purple martins; deer, fox, bunnies and lots of squirrels (makes Jake and Emerson happy!). Robert is snapping breath-taking photos.
Once again, I have been graced by the opportunity to bring Further Shore’s mission to NY. My first couple weeks found me assisting with in-home hospice care for a man I have known for 40 years. Herman (father of my dear high school friend, Mary) made his transition in a most amazing manner on Mother’s Day. Being present for his passing was a gift I will forever cherish. The family further blessed me by requesting that I officiate the graveside memorial service. My brother, Tom, played the guitar and sang Amazing Grace as part of the ceremony. A full military service came first. . . a 21 gun salute, presentation of the flag and Taps. A beautiful honoring.
During the hospice care time, it became painfully clear to me how over burdened the local hospice nurses are. There was a long list of things that happened that were challenging, stress producing and frustrating for the care givers. I provided hands-on support to the process that helped the family through. When I asked the visiting nurse about her case load, she reported that all the area hospices have serious personnel shortages and that her case load was twenty-five to forty at a time! No wonder the care was lacking. I also just heard that the federal government has cut funding that will help hospices nation wide. This makes it all the more important that the private sector learn about caring for the terminally ill; for families to be aware of what happens when we make the final passage.
My heart is full from our time here. We will be leaving on June 1st for the drive back to sacred mountain. Susana has been doing a fabulous job handling FS business in my absence. She is managing care for our TLC Clients with ease and grace. She recently made a presentation to the Blue Thong Society, a local fund raising group. The group made up special baskets for each of our TLC Clients that Susana will be delivering sometime this week. We are so grateful for this kind of community support!
Susana is also keeping an eye on construction at Wayne’s House. While it is progressing in a good way, it is still not clear when the grand re-opening will take place. Thank you to all who are keeping this process in your prayers and hearts. Also thank you to those who have made contributions to Further Shore that helps us to continue with this important work.