Nearly Finished!!

Apologies! I have been working on a special project and have seriously neglected my blog. I am apparently one of those people who can’t manage to do more than one thing at a time… at least not successfully anyway!

I have been a hospice volunteer for nearly 10 years, writing life journals for patients who wished to have one. When COVID affected our ability to see patients in person, volunteering for hospice was suspended. In the last six months, we have been able to resume our normal activities, but the desire patients once had for a life journal seems to have dwindled. I felt it was time to move on.

An opportunity for me to volunteer at a retirement community close to home became available. The scenic 100-acre community has a lake, tree-lined streets, and a selection of villas, duplexes, and apartment buildings. It also features skilled nursing, assisted living and rehabilitation facilities. There will be an endless number of volunteer possibilities here!

At my initial meeting with the Volunteer Coordinator, we discussed my hobbies and my fondness for writing, photography, editing, talking to older folks and learning about their past. That’s when he said, “I have the perfect job for you!” The Veterans books they keep in the library needed updating. “Sure,” I said, “sounds like fun!”

It was supposed to be simple! I would contact our new residents who were veterans and ask them for a photo of themselves in service uniform along with basic information about their branch, rank, dates of service and places they served or were stationed. I was to create a page for them and add it to an existing 3-ring business binder filled with the pages of other veterans. What I didn’t realize is this had not been done for two years since COVID had shut down their volunteer program.

Long story short – this undertaking snowballed from the addition of a few new pages in what was an existing array of haphazardly sized pictures and random fonts, to a complete revision with one cohesive format and three brand new red, white and blue photo albums! Some of the technical aspects of such a huge task were a little over my head, but I am fortunate to have a husband who not only has the knowledge, but the willingness to help. I couldn’t have done it without him!

I have logged over 100 hours on this project so far, but I can finally see the finish line! I meet next week with the Volunteer Coordinator to print the newly completed pages, insert them into their proper photo album, and be ready for the big reveal on Veterans Day, November 11th. It’s been fun and rewarding (oh, some of their stories!!!), but I am looking forward to just being a normal volunteer very soon!

Today’s Ragtag Daily Prompt is “Finish,” so it seemed an appropriate time to catch up on my blog and let you know I’m nearly finished with what I’ve been up to lately. I’ll be posting photos of the progression and completion of this project on Veterans Day, or shortly thereafter!