“I awoke this morning with devout thanksgiving for my friends – the old and the new.”
“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.” – quotes by Ralph Waldo Emerson
Many years ago, when I was brainstorming with someone in Kalamazoo about an idea I had for supporting people struggling with cancer, they suggested I contact Bob Dolsen in St. Joseph. Little did I know it would take me on a 45-year journey for which I would forever be grateful.
I can’t think of anything more enriching than finding oneself in a career with a mission devoted to honoring the individuality and dignity of the person, with a charge to create choices designed so all can fulfill their dreams of maximum independence for life.
When I was a young woman, many friends jumped from job to job trying on different roles and searching for more pay. Not feeling compelled to do that, I wondered if I was missing something. But no, now retiring from a field I love, I only feel gratitude.
“We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives,” John F. Kennedy once said.
My parents taught me integrity, and encouraged me to work hard and dream – good wisdom for my personal and professional life. Dolsen, my predecessor and mentor at the Area Agency on Aging, quickly instilled in me broad vision in approaching my work.
The creativity one feels when connecting with others in the art of the possible creates bonds of excitement and accomplishment. I’m proud to be inspired by my colleagues and call them my friends.
The good and the challenge of working in a place so long is the richness of working with so many dynamic people, while also having to say goodbye. Time does take its toll.
I think of so many people – members of the staff, board, advisory council, and community supporters and service providers – who have gone before to shape and build the Area Agency on Aging, and the broad array of services it oversees, into what it is today. Each excited, each creative, each contribution adding to the whole.
In the early days, we focused on basic infrastructure: meals, the first home health agency, expansion of senior centers, transportation and so on. Formation of state and national associations built excitement, linking the creativity and best practices of professionals from all locales and cultures.
Recognizing people needed help long term that wasn’t covered by insurance led to decades of work establishing home-based services and supports, no matter the level of disability, eventually becoming a managed care plan, MIChoice, for those 18 and older with nursing home-level needs, choosing to live at home.
The agency is known nationally for innovations, including the creation of the Campus for Creative Aging, lauding age as a time of creativity, purpose, growth and learning.
While I’m retiring, I leave the agency in the capable hands of Christine Vanlandingham as CEO, outstanding staff and a dedicated board and advisory council. Leadership and the creative vibe at AAA remains vibrant and strong.
You’ll still see me periodically in this column and around the community. Social and intellectual connectivity is important.
To quote GZA, a popular hip-hop artist, “Live a life full of humility, gratitude, intellectual curiosity, and never stop learning.”
Right on.