Words of Reflection

For my fifth and final post for this blog, Adopt a Grandma, I would like to provide some sort of closure regarding the project, its aims, and its successes. To do so, I have interviewed two of my teammates inquiring about their favorite memories from the course of the project and the greatest life lessons that they will take away.

First, I spoke with Emily.

Upon being asked about her fondest memory, Emily told the tale of when we encountered an angry woman of Elmcroft who definitely spoke what was on her mind. On one specific day, she seemed to be particularly upset about something, and she spoke of how she hated everyone in the home. Emily continued to explain that she could relate to the woman, because at the time her life, she was going through some emotional turmoil. She understood where the woman was coming from because she sometimes felt the same way, except she kept her feelings to herself. Emily reported she could empathize with the woman and that she could imagine that difficulties that might be tied to living in a group home- especially if it feels as if everyone around you is doing better than you are.

Emily said that her greatest takeaway from the project was to never give up when teamwork gets difficult. Throughout the course of the project, we have struggled with some internal conflicts that we needed to overcome. She feels that the benefits of the project definitely outweigh the work that we commit to make it possible. Though we may be struggling to keep the project’s mission moving at the moment, Emily believes that we will get back on our feet and configure solutions to our complications in no time.

Next, I asked Ava the same questions.

She explained that her favorite memory was the day that she and Emily started working with Marge to create the facility’s library. Up until that day, Marge had been generally reserved and quiet. Once Marge reached out to them, however, they were able to hear about her life’s passions propelled by her history as a librarian, as well as the work that she had laid before her to help others learn. Marge inspired Ava to consider how she wants to steer her own life in order to give unto others while simultaneously satisfying her own needs.

From the project, Ava reports that she learned the importance of reaching out to others. We found it to be very time-consuming to visit Elmcroft as frequently as we had initially planned. Though it was sometimes difficult to find the motivation to visit the women, it was always worth it. Ava said that she always felt happier leaving the home in comparison to when she woke up that particular morning and thought about the daunting pile of homework that awaited her attention. However, taking a few hours out of the day to dedicate to the lives of others made her heart swell with fulfillment.

This feedback is just a snippet of a snapshot of the meaning of our project. As a team, we have learned a lot and feel like we helped a lot as well.

“All our relationships are person-to-person. They involve people seeing, hearing, touching, and speaking to each other; they involve sharing goods; and they involve moral values like generosity and compassion.” ~Brendan Myers

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