Say YAY to Interns

In the last blog post, I left you with a little cliff-hanger. I told you that this blog post is a must-read... and that's because it's true! Here are some of the beautiful application letters we received from Philadelphia teenagers, in response to our Call for Interns. Our teen interns will visit our weekly writing class at the senior center starting this month - no idea what kind of conversations and stories will unfold. But I'm getting ready to be blown away. This is going to be really fun.

Dear Beatrice Newkirk

My name is Jyqueen Galloway. I am currently attending Arise Academy Charter School. I am a sophomore and I have great grades. I respect my elders and I am a very respectable person. I follow the rules the adults give me.

I think what you said (about laughter and friends) was so true. I believe that’s true me and my  best friend laugh all the time by the way his name Tyreek, there was one day when we didn’t see each other for 3 days and we were both miserable with out each other.

When I am there I will promise to help and love everyone, treat everyone with respect,      like they’re my family. While I am here I will help you and other elderly people who need it. With no problem or questions asked I love helping people. So I just hope you will let me help you.

Thank you, Beatrice Newkirk.

Sincerely, Jyqueen Galloway

Dear Linda,

Hi how are you? My name is Jamila. I am 17 years old and I read your first date story. It was just too adorable. As unfortunate as it may be I have yet to go on an actual date, well not the clichés dates. I really don’t like spending money when it isn’t necessary. So the movies and dinner are out of the question. I enjoy cooking so I would rather whip up something I have at home already. Plus I have tons of movies. Besides that I think those kinds of dates take away form getting to know each other. I rather take a long walk in the park with you or sit outside on the steps and eat ice cream on a hot day. I know that probably sounds a little cheesy but that’s my kind of date. Now that kissing thing is a whole other story. My first kiss was something like yours. And I also thought I could get pregnant if I French kissed a boy but than again I thought you could get pregnant by doing anything with a boy. Well anyway I hope to read more of your stories because I really enjoy them.

A New Fan, Jamila

Hello Madam,

My name is Tyreek Malachi and I’m a current senior at Simon Gratz High School. I heard about the connecting with seniors community service events though one of my teachers Stephanie Oliver at the Achieving Independence Center, and I  think that it would be a great opportunity to hear about the older generation’s experiences and see what I could learn from them.

I recently read the story on thebestdayofmylifesofar.blogspot.com titled Arthur (singing) and I feel that in the years that he has been living he has accomplished a whole lot from being in many band/ choirs such as Little Joe and the Thrillers, McFadden and the White Heads, and The Soul Brothers Of Germany, London, France, Copenhagen, and Denmark to being a supporter of our country by participation in the army.

I can relate to Arthur because I also like to sing and I feel as if I can learn from him. Also I’m from Georgia and he was in Georgia for a month. I like to meet new people and so does Arthur and because of that I feel there would be a good bond. We both are travelers and we have that in common too.

I feel this would be a great experience for me and that I can learn and benefit form your program. Hopefully we can work together. It would be a great pleasure to work with you and the elderly.

Sincerely, Tyreek Malachi

November 14 is Seniors' Storytelling Day!

Well, well, well, I’ve teased you with the anticipation of this long enough, haven’t I? So here it is. THE official announcement:

2010 SENIORS' STORYTELLING DAY IS ON... and YOU are invited!

Presented by The Best Day of My Life (So Far)
Sunday, November 14, 2010
2:00PM - 3:00PM
Montgomery Auditorium
Free Library of Philadelphia
1901 Vine Street, 19103

Event details can be found on the Library’s Author Events Calendar, and in the Events Section of our Facebook page. And yes, bring a friend! Invite your friends easily by “sharing” the event via Facebook.

As you know, our seniors won’t be the only ones on stage (and on the screen) that day. You will also get to meet our teen interns and assistants. Want to see how awesome they are? Stay tuned for the next blog post. We'll be sharing some of the letters that they have written in response to the stories on this blog.You'll melt, guaranteed.

Birthday Post

Hope this doesn’t come across as self-indulgent, but I just want to use this blog post as an opportunity to thank my senior buddies, volunteers, friends and of course my earth-shatteringly sweet husband for throwing me the most surprising surprise party ever on Thursday. It’s my birthday today: the mini three-O! I am happy for so many reasons but one is that I feel like I am at peace – even a little thrilled – with growing older. I am pretty sure hanging out with my senior buddies has a lil’ somethin’ to do with that ;)

Check out photos from the day on Facebook, and check out some of the birthday gifts I got from the seniors, yup, you guessed it, in the form of stories and notes:

Hattie Lee Ellerbe
July 8, 2010
A Surprise for Benita

Today in spite of the 90 degree weather was a very happy day. At about 12:45pm we learned from Benita’s husband, Jason, that her birthday would be on Saturday, July 10th. He had a special cake from her favorite pastry chef Monica and he invited some of her close friends to celebrate. You can imagine how shocked Benita was when she entered the room and of course she cried. We ate cake and listened to letters sent via email from some of the young people who tune into our stories via computer.

Dear Benita

Congratulations on your Birthday!

May your birthday bring more happiness to you and your family, and the members of the Senior Center Writing Class. God bless you!

From,
Michael Chan
July 8, 2010

Lucky Day

Today is my lucky day. My friend Mike and I came to visit this nice senior citizens center, and were fortunate enough to meet my new Chinese friend Benita on her birthday. She is a wonderful lady. She looks and speaks just like my daughter Dorothy.

I’m so very glad and happy to meet her, and all of our new senior center friends.

Forever friends,
Robert Leung
July 8, 2010

Bernice (My Twin Sister)

One of the most gracious gestures I’ve ever witnessed was when Bernice read this story out loud.

Beatrice, her twin sister, was sitting across from Bernice, hearing these words for the first time along with the rest of the class. I wish you could all be at the table. I think my mouth was open in awe for the entire minute. It’s the kind of moment that defines life itself because it contains nothing but pure love.

Bernice Moore
June 17 , 2010
My Twin Sister

Me and my twin sister were born the same day. We've had a lot of fun meeting people here in class and I love my sister very much. She knows a lot of things. She is the mother of 12 children and I am the mother of 11. We have a lot of fun with our children and grand and great children. She is a great dancer. She writes beautiful poems. We will both be 77 tomorrow and I am thankful that God let us live as we have.

Helen, Michael and Hattie (Nice Days)

For those of you in the U.S., hope you had a nice July 4th weekend! I had fun with my husband and mother-in-law in upstate New York, barbecuing, overloading ice-cream cones, lighting sparklers, taking long walks, drinking lemonade on the porch. No giant feast or fireworks show for me this year, but sometimes a little quiet time with a little family is just right. Simple pleasures. Quality time. There are pretty words for this kind of thing. But I guess I just think of it as a sigh of relief. Because it takes the pressure off of us "grown kids" - it doesn’t take fancy gifts and dinner plans, sometimes just hanging out is enough to make a weekend nice or a day memorable. 

Helen H. Lahr
May 20, 2010
A Wonderful Day

It’s always a pleasure when members of my family and I get together, so you can imagine how happy I was, when Shannon, my daughter-in-law called on the phone and asked if I had a commitment on the coming Friday. I was free, but had I not been I would have canceled.

I could barely wait until Friday. I had gotten up very early when it did come. Finally the bell rang and there stood Shannon smiling.

I asked if she would like something to eat or drink. She didn’t care to have anything at the moment.

We decided to go outside. Outside, we sat facing each other. We talked about the past, how we first met and how happy we were during the early years when the children were born. There were two, Tracy and Eric. Now Tracy and her husband have two children of their own and are expecting another in July. Eric has just become engaged.

Most of our conversations centered about the children.  Well, we talked and laughed and embraced each other.  The time passed so fast we were surprised when my daughter came in from work.

Soon after, Sharon took us to a restaurant for dinner where we had a long, lingering meal. Finally, it was time to go home and, reluctantly, we went our separate ways.  When Sharon arrived at her home, she called to say that she had no problems on the long ride home.

When Mother’s Day approached, I received a beautiful card.  Written at the bottom were these words;  “Our Friday visit was wonderful.”

Hattie Lee Ellerbe
May 20, 2010
Mommy’s Secret

I cannot beat around the bush…as I write from week to week, all of you know that my children are my achievements. I could not be more proud of any three people in the whole world. They are my life..my best friends….”The wings beneath my wings.”

In case they read this note, the secret is out, you are all ‘mommy’s favorites.” The guessing game is over. Now don’t fight over me…who want’s me this weekend?

Michael Chan
June 10, 2010
A Trip to New York

Last week my daughter drove a van of 10 of us to New York. To see friends over there. We saw family, talked all day, talked about recent changes and things. We left Philadelphia at 8am, arrived to New York at 2 to 3 hours later. We stayed and left after dinner, came home at 11pm. Very tired. The good kind. In between meals, we went to see the President’s House in Mount Vernon.  I bought a small souvenir to remember the day by.

Hattie and Mo (We heart P.A.)

It’s official. We HEART P.A.! Just found out we are on the front page of another local paper: Milestones Newspaper July issue. If you live in town, pick up a free copy at your sidewalk newsstand anytime this month – and pick up an extra one to share with a friend!

Pennsylvania oh Pennsylvania, how can we thank you enough… except with stories? Here are Hattie and Mo talking about how the streets of our fantastic state have transformed over the years. Consider this blog post our mini token of appreciation for all of your support.

(And to all our out-of-town readers, by now I hope you know: You Rock. You’re like one giant worldwide cheering squad that keeps our seniors writing. They write because you are reading. Cheer on! Rock on!)

Hattie Lee Ellerbe
June 10, 2010
Patton Street Village           

As a young married couple, my husband and I moved to the 1900 block of North Patton Street.  We were among the first to integrate this block and were not very welcomed by our “other” neighbors.

It was October 1956 and we were in our early to mid twenties and had one three year old daughter, Karen.

As the years went by more young families had moved in and by the mid 1960s, we were all of “the darker persuasion”.  There were many, many children and everyone seemed happy and interested in each other’s welfare.
Our children played together and went to school and in some cases went to church together.

Parents didn’t just take their children on trips.  They would ask permission and take some of the neighbor’s children with them.

It wasn’t unusual for us to count an extra head or two at the dinner table because the children knew they were welcomed.  We even had the responsibility of taking neighbors’ children to and from school.

Now, we have at least four generations of children on our block and they have renamed our street “Patton Street Village”.

Our street is just one block long but the surrounding blocks love to participate in all the activities that we have.

I am so proud of Patton Street Village.

Mo McCooper   
May 20, 2010
69th Street

The town bus went to 69th Street Terminal which we later learned was in Upper Darby, Delaware County, Pa.  There were five movies we could walk to.  We usually went to two.  One high school boy tried to see all five many days. 

There was a White Tower with little hamburgers, soup cups of baked beans and French fries.  Nobody wasted money on sodas when we could see a movie or have a meal.  We kept the bus fare in our secret pockets or rings. 

No adults ever came with us and there was never any trouble I can remember. 

When we were 16 or so we went to Irish dances on top of some stores between the movie theaters.  Some of my older friends met their wives at those dances.  Tom Connell, one of my idols - a few years older, brought his shy, Jewish friend.  At least five of my Italian friends came with me.  The Irish girls loved them.  Anthony E. Horre met his wife there.  Most of us just liked to pound our feet on the thin floor during the “Irish Sets” which were like square dances.