Thursday, May 30, 2019

It's the Arts (Philip, Ann, and Iris)

There's always something to do at the Philadelphia Senior Center, especially for members of Best Day. On May 30th, some of our older buds will be singing in a concert, so some of us will be going to support them. Just this past week, older bud Mike Tsuei came back with a story...and informed us that he was part of an art exhibition downstairs! Not too long after Best Day, they opened the gallery to its ember and had a reception full of delicious snacks. You can see Mike's art and the gallery opening below:







And Best Day itself was packed to the gills! We had no fewer than ten older buds sharing stories last week. Not everybody got to write the whole story--this is always a risk when older buds come late--so some people had to finish their stories aloud. Also, the stories were so engaging that they sparked conversations before the story even finished! The downside is that we only have the room for an hour, and some of our writers have to leave early. That means as interesting as the conversations are, I have to cut them short to make sure everyone gets to read. It’s a downside to larger groups, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. We didn't have time for our usual senior selfies, but we'll always have time to share our stories:

   
Philip Pan
April 18, 2019
A Lovely and Good Woman

There was a beautiful girl. She was very smart and kindly. When she was 17 years old, she married her neighbor. They didn’t have children. Her mother in law was blind. [In] not so long, her husband left her in order to go to a foreign country for school. She would take care of her mother-in-law. Her mother-in-law was old, she couldn’t do anything. Sometimes she would make money for her husband’s tuition and he married another woman but she didn’t know. After many years, this lady was old and her mother-in-law died. Her husband didn’t do anything for them. When this woman was very sick, nobody took care. When this woman dies, her own brother cared for her.


Ann Von Dehsen
May 5, 2019
Do I Know You?
A long time ago when I was a college student walking along the sidewalks of Boston, I saw a man in the distance coming towards me. In my head, I was saying, “Oh there’s… there’s… there’s…” but I couldn’t think of his name or how I knew him. It seemed like he was someone from my past, but being only 20, I didn’t have much of a past. But I was sure I knew him and that it was really good to see him again, whoever he was. Meanwhile, he apparently was going through the same mental head game as we got closer to each other establishing eye contact and smiling and almost going into a slow-motion movie scene embrace. Instead, he said very hesitantly, “It’s good to see you again?” To which I replied, “You too?” Then almost at the same time, we said, “Sorry, I was sure I knew you.”
Then we spent several minutes trying to establish some connection – our names, where we grew up, where we went to school, friends names, relatives names, groups we may have been a part of in the past. Nothing. And it wasn’t that we reminded each other of someone we currently knew. We truly believed we knew each other at some point but maybe just not in this lifetime. Though we enjoyed this strange reunion, there was no plan to see each other again, but we hugged and wished each other the happiness in this life that we may have shared in a past life. I smiled as I walked away thinking, “It sure was nice to see him again, whoever he was!”


Iris Wildflower
May 5, 2019
Where Do You Dwell - Live?
Are you in the secret place of the most High God under the shadow of His wings? Are you living in His presence, isn’t that where we below, in His presence? That’s where we are, strong seeking His face, touching. His grace it in your presence of God. I want to go where the rivers will not overflow me, where my feet are on the rocks. I want to hide where a blazing fire can not burn me. It’s in your presence. Oh God, that’s where. I want to dwell. That’s where I want to live. Based on PS 91. He that dwelt in the secret place. Find the secret place for your life.



If you have an hour or more to spare, then share an older bud’s story through http://bitly.com/shareastorytoday 
I've posted stories about about targets, guns,potatoes, and one about the Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Or if you'd like to contribute to our 10th Anniversary celebration, then donate at
http://bestdayofmylifesofar.org/donate/
Curated by Caitlin Cieri