Ashley, our Event Director extraordinaire who is hard at work on our big November event (which will be a blast - I am guaranteeing that right now), shared the video with her friends, and this is what one of them wrote back. It's supersweet. Joy and Ashley have generously agreed to let me share this email with all of you guys.
To: Ashley Kerns
From: Joy Salvatore
Date: Wed, Sep 29, 2010 at 9:48 AM
Wow! How wonderful to be a part of such a special project. Thank you for sharing it. I will definitely come to the event on November 14.
I thought it was funny that the narrator mentioned that family and friends have written to her saying that their loved one has never looked happier or stronger. I was watching the video thinking that everyone looked so youthful and joyful sharing their experiences with one another. It reminded me of when I took an Italian class with my grandfather when I came home from Italy. He had not spoken italian in decades, and he grudgingly agreed to take the class with me. Once we started going, he loved it and quickly became the most popular person in class. Each week, he came to my house an hour or 30 minutes before we had to leave, and I would drive us to class in his car listening to italian music. I know I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to share that passion with him. It allowed me and my family to see of side of him that was probably more prevalent when he was a young man. I imagine that is exactly what you get to see when you go to these meetings at the senior center, and the people there finally get to express themselves, their personalities, and share their stories. What an amazing project. That is surely a gift to everyone...the people sharing their tales and all those who take the time to listen.
Thanks again for sharing. Cannot wait until Nov 14! :-)
Remember, our ears are always open. If you have something to share, feel free to email us (you can find our emails at the blog sidebar) or post a Facebook comment. If you aren't a Facebook/ Twitter fan, you're missing out! That's the easiest way to read blog posts as they show up, and that's where we post all our class photos. Please do consider fanning our pages if you haven't already. Our seniors check their Facebook/ Twitter pages often - they really love seeing your faces. It shows them you are out there listening.