Following the bread crumbs

Interesting things happen when you follow the bread crumbs offered by the Universe.

Recently I listened to a story from an acquaintance and knew without a doubt that I was supposed to write about the person's experience. I wasn't sure exactly how I was supposed to share the information, but it ended up being my Sept.6th blog post "Food for thought".

I gave a copy to the person I had written about and she loved what I had created. After making a couple of minor corrections she asked me to give it to the Social Services Director of  Grants Good Samaritan Center. Again I didn't know why I was supposed to do it, just that I was.

I stopped by his office yesterday and we had a nice chat. I had previously worked at the facility and we touched base on employees that I knew. I also discovered that he was a neighbor of mine. During our conversation I mentioned that I was an author and had started a local writing group, Write On People.

One thing led to another and  a light went off in the director's mind. He suggested starting a writing group for the residents of Good Sam who are still mentally alert. I saw the light and caught his dream. What a wonderful idea! As a columnist I had written about a resident, but had never approached the subject from the other way around. The more I thought about it the more excited I became.

Sometimes Ideas need to mature. This morning I realized that I could easily go to the facility and start a group just as I had with Write On People last November. This would only involve me volunteering a little of my time and sharing my passion with the hope of inspiring others to put their thoughts on paper. There was another option that would expand the idea even further.

This morning my writing group met and I mentioned the idea to the members to see how they would react. I approached them with the thought that I could do it myself or...we could do it as a group. It didn't take much convincing to adopt the second option. Everyone saw the benefit of the project and wanted to be part of it. One of the last comments was, "You lead and we will follow."

Residents of nursing homes don't have a lot to look forward to on a daily basis and they are in constant need of the human touch. Just having someone talk to them can make them happy. I can imagine that having others listen to them and believe that they still have something worthwhile to share would do wonders for their self-esteem. I can also imagine the storehouse of knowledge we as a group will be gaining in return.

We are looking forward to the opportunity to be of service to others. Following the bread crumbs can be a win win experience.