Stories of Kindness from Around the World

A Nursing Home "Gardener"


--by speedi, posted Dec 18, 2008

My daughter reminded me yesterday of a story that happened several years ago. I worked in a nursing home for several years and had kind of adopted one wing, where the residents had few guests/visitors, and stayed manily in their rooms or in the hallway outside there rooms. I went down on my breaks just to check in, to see if anyone needed or wanted a bit of extra TLC.  I gave them "flower" nicknames so I could share some of there stories with my kids without revealing there identities. The residents all knew I had nicknames for them. I called them my own private garden.

One day I happened to overhear one of them say,  "I wonder if dandelion is coming today?"  "Of course, she always comes answered another."  I admit I wondered why they named me after a weed.  A few months after overhearing this one of my special flowers was doing poorly. I sat beside Daisy's bed and tried to encourage her to drink just a bit. She did, just to make me happy, and then we talked a bit.  She said, "I have to tell you,  Daisy is very tired and ready to go home. Please don't be sad."  

And then she said she had a secret to tell me. I smiled and said awesome because I love secrets.  She said that she and others in that wing had watched me over time.  She said, "you sit with us, read to us, help us write letters, adjust a collar, help with a missed button, comb our hair and share so much of your time with us.  At first when we realized you named us all after flowers we called you a dandelion, all fluff and stuff, but as time went on, we changed that and now we call you our butterfly, you flit from flower to flower, sharing, caring, and just being yourself." She said she was tired and wanted to take a nap. I kissed her cheek, told her I loved her and would see her in the morning.  Sadly, she passed away that night.

I never forgot her words about being a butterfly and tried from then on to raise my kids to become butterflies to touch in good ways the lives of other people wherever life's journey took them.

Thanks for reading and please go be a butterfly with your beautiful smile and wonderful smile cards.

4763 Reads

Readers Comments

bookworm58 wrote: Your story is so special. I love butterfiles a lot too. The world needs more butterfiles. We should cherish them too.
Deneen wrote: Thank you for this story, i truly love it! I have always loved to watch butterflies and this is a wonderful way to pass on their beauty!
dinesh wrote: Beautiful thought to follow. Good deeds should be a part of our lives and only then we can really enjoy our lives. God bless you
LOAS wrote: I am really going to have to invest in a box of kleenex if i am going to keep reading these stories (which i intend to do! ) lol.


This is a beautiful story. My stepmother worked in a nursing home and i went there with her a few times. She was very loving and caring to those older ones and i was impressed with the way she treated them. While she was not the best step mother, to me and my brother, it allowed me to see that she wasn't all bad and that there is hope for her to blossom into a butterfly like you.


Thank you for sharing. :)
Loas
hotcocoa wrote: Aww
Thanks for posting and aww again.

Lol.
imaniceperson wrote: Great story. Thanks for sharing.
AURELIA wrote: Very Sweet and Touching. I love your garden idea and you are a lovely butterly. :0) ~Aurelia
carmenb333 wrote: That is beautiful! Thank you for that story!
molly273 wrote: This is a beautiful story! What a wonderful difference you made to those people. Thank you!
JuneBug wrote: Your story wasn't long at all! I thought it ws one of the best ones I've read in awhile....How adorable!!!! :}

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