Setting my office work aside, I walked down the hall towards the ladies’ room when I came upon a tiny woman whom I had not yet met.  A surprise encounter of this type is not unusual lately since I’ve stepped back a bit from the day-to-day happenings at Oasis Senior Living.  Stopping short of the ladies’ room to meet her, I felt my smile and heart warm as I introduced myself and asked her name.  This also is not unusual.  Having been closely involved with the elderly for over 11 years, my heart is quickly and easily captured by people like her.  It also helped that her eyes sparkled.  Absolutely thrilled that I had stopped for her, she proceeded to quite literally corral me into her bedroom.  There, she invited me to sit.  I acquiesced.

“People call me ReeNee,” she stated, “but that is not my name.  I don’t know why they call me that.”   With her permission, I settled on the edge of her bed so I could be right across from her.  In retrospect, I can’t decide if that was a good idea or bad because I still hadn’t had a chance to visit the Ladies Room.  “Tell me a little about you,” I entreated, not sure if I would get a synopsis or a long story.  She didn’t waste a moment and began right at the beginning…her childhood.  It wasn’t long before I clearly knew I wasn’t going anywhere for a quite a while.  I settled in and bade my bladder be patient.  When she told me she was put in an orphanage in the Midwest as a child and came out the other side as a young woman having loved it, I could not hide my amazement.   It had never occurred to me that anyone could have fond memories of an orphanage.  I blame that on Little Orphan Annie.  She, however, could not say enough good about it.  There, she learned life skills that she still cherishes today.  She fondly remembered the other children who grew up with her there and the staff who were nothing but positive influences in her life.  She mentioned her parents, who she said were alive during this time, but incapable of raising her and her brother (who also grew up in the orphanage).  “That’s a picture of my brother there,” she said adoringly as she pointed to a framed photo on the floor.  My gaze, redirected to the photo and then the walls of her room, rested on colorful art and pictures of her as a young woman.  For a new resident, she had settled in quite well and had created a comfortable, charming “home” for herself.  As I studied the photos closer, it was quite clear that she had been a stunning young woman, and she giggled in agreement as I acknowledged this.  She told me of her life, her loves, her disappointments, her career and her dreams.  Had I not physically been unable to stay, I might still be there, perched on the edge of her bed, fully entranced at a life so interesting and well lived.

I am most blessed.  This career I find myself in was never even dreamed of as I was growing up or raising my children.  It has not been easy, and every day has been an opportunity for growth, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.  I love being a mother and this job is mothering times one hundred!  I’m so glad “ReeNee” felt comfortable enough to share her story with me.  Her life has now become part of mine and I love her for that.

-Shauna Horne, Owner of Oasis Senior Living