Missing singing with our First Parish Lexington choir at Assisted Living

Twice when we lived in Lexington our choir visited Carleton-Willard, a continuing care facility in Bedford Ma, during the Christmas holidays.  Our accompanist worked there part time doing programming for them and invited his wife, our choir director, to bring us along to sing Christmas carols.

Clearly the residents loved Jeffrey and perked up when he spoke to them.  We sang in two common areas and mostly Christmas carols, although because we are Unitarian Universalist, I think we also sang a Hanukkah song or two.

While we were visiting the dementia unit, it was so fun to watch the residents sing along with us.  We had extra song packets and handed them out to some to encourage them to sing along with us.  One woman sang along with us, holding the music up side down.

Again, music is so important to our lives, and one can only hope that we tapped into holiday memories for them.  One couple we were singing with ran into a relative there, and another singer fondly remembered when her mother was alive.  In fact, some of the aides greeted her warmly, with hugs, and fond memories of her mother.

Since we have moved to Burlington, I miss these visits, which were a highlight of my holiday.  Need to find a way to go sing in some facilities up here.

Playing music for Hospice Patients Using Youtube

There is a lot of research that using music with hospice and dementia patients accesses a part of their memory and brains which is very powerful.  I always ask patients what music they like to listen to and try to include that in the playlist that I bring to visit them.

Clearly this changes with each person you visit, and I do have a few that I play for almost everyone like "Amazing Grace" and "To My Old Brown Earth".  I also include Unitarian Universalist Hymns when I am visiting people from our denomination.

Here is how I manage my Favorites Folder in Youtube:

1) Login into Youtube

2) Search for an Artist or a Song you like and think the patient might like

3) When you find an arrangement of a song that you like click on the icon second from the rightunder the video screen with the horizontal lines and + sign:

This screen will appear and you can either add to a current play list of the last option is "+ Create New playlist":

Music and visiting hospice patients

Four years ago, during the Holiday season, the Hospice Volunteer Coordinator asked the Hospice choir I sang with to sing at their annual service to acknowledge all those in their community who has passed away during the year.  We were all honored to be invited to sing at this powerful and heart warming service.

The service was held in their function room, and attended by the Hospice Social Worker, the Chaplain and the Bereavement Coordinator.  There were about 20 hospice patients who had been wheeled in to the room.  Some of them were very alert and participatory while others seemed to be totally withdrawn and even asleep.

Since it was the holidays and near Hanukkah one of the staff had included a traditional Jewish prayer in the order of service, to honor her own traditions.  She started to say the prayer and one of the individuals in a wheel chair, who up until that time had been "asleep" sat upright and said the prayer along with the Staff member.

The choir all noticed this and many of us left with lumps in our throats and tears in our eyes recognizing the power of prayer, and the power of rote learning.

This moment in time shifted forever how I view the patients I visit.  I never again assumed that because someone looked as if they were asleep, that they were actually asleep.  I spoke to them as I held their hand, as if they could hear me.  Many times, they squeezed my hand even though they might not open their eyes.

Grove Collaborative - GOOD Customer Service

I complain a lot and blog about HORRIBLE customer service so I always like to balance it with a blog about GREAT customer service.

I clicked on a link in Facebook for Grove Collaborative and the deal seems too good to be true so I took their offer of some free things, trial period as a VIP customer and then would receive a recurring monthly order.  It is always a red flag to have a monthly recurring charge so my antenna were up.  They reassured me that I could cancel at any time.

For a few months when I got the reminders that an order would be on the way in a week, I went to the website and cancelled the things I did not want and shopped for a few things I did want.

After a few months, there was just not enough demand in our house for laundry detergent, or castile soap or pot scrubbers.  Don't get me wrong!  The quality of product they provided was excellent and and I actually have fallen in love with a few of their "cleaning" tools like this one.  We just don't need that much window washing liquid or anti-bacterial bathroom spray.  Now you know for sure that we are not keepers of a spic and pan house.  My attitude is that "It is just going to get dirty again".

I also like to be in control of shopping so having someone else tell me on a monthly schedule what I need rubbed me the wrong way.

Last week, the dish scrubber wasn't working right in that the dowel that attaches to the replaceable head seems to have broken off so the head rotates making it's usefulness diminish.  I read some reviews and this has happened to other customers, and they solved it by gluing it into the head.

I emailed their customer service 4 days ago.  3 days ago I got an email that they were very busy and would still get back to me (Sure they will the skeptic in me said).

2 days ago I got an email that they had credited my account $8.  WOW just WOW!

I know, I know, it will make me go back and use their website AND I want to use their website because they have a high quality product and are a fabulous company.

My other reasoning for not ordering from them is the whole Amazon effect that is causing local shops to go out of business.  If I can get the same laundry detergent from our City Market, why would I order from a distant company and waste all those resources in the shipping process and not support a local business.

So, I have $8 to use and will order from Grove Collaborative when I cannot find something locally and I will write posts like this when I find companies that offer STUPENDOUS, EXTRAORDINARY and GREAT customer service.

Planned Parenthood / Stopping to have the conversation

On my way back from yoga on Wednesday morning a woman stood outside a Planned Parenthood clinic in the block adjacent to our condo building, in a bright orange vest with the name tag "Volunteer Greeter".  I slowed down my stride and said "Thanks for being here."  She said back to me "Thanks for taking care of yourself and going to yoga."

Her response caused me to stop and have a conversation with her.  Instead of stopping to smell the roses I found myself stopping to have the conversation.  It might have been that the reading at yoga inspired me to Live in the Moment AND it was definitely that one of the value driven issues I put my energy is to make sure that women have choices about their bodies.  When I hear that someone might be defunding Planned Parenthood my inclination is to send them even more money.  I once told someone "abortion rights are one issue I would go to the mat for."

We talked for about 10 minutes about our experiences, about friends who had to have abortions before they were legal in the United States, about protesters outside this clinic, and we connected in a way that is how I define my theological development.  When I have conversations with people like this, that cause me to grow, and transform, and reaffirm my beliefs and values, then my spiritual development has happened.  It does not have to be inside a sanctuary or fellowship or church for this to happen.  It can happen outside a Planned Parenthood clinic.

I did not catch her name, but next Wednesday on my way back from yoga, if she is greeting people again, I will make sure to get her name and ask how to get on the list to volunteer.  I will stop and have the conversation.

Here is the Leonard Cohen quote my yoga teacher read on Wednesday and I apologize in advance if the swear word offends anyone (this is why I placed it at the bottom and not at the top):

Tired of so many catalogues? - Catalog Choice is what I have used for 10 years

This is my dashboard for Catalog Choice 😀💗🙏

I have blogged about this before AND I am still surprised at how many people are not aware of this website so here is my take on it.

Each year I challenge myself to become more green and energy conscious.  In 2007, I decided that the number of catalogues I was getting through the mail was outrageous and was a waste of resources.  I usually shop online and I don't need all of this colored paper.  Even today, when someone offers me print materials for something I say "No thanks, I will go look at it online."

In 2007,  I became aware of Catalog Choice and I started using it.  Immediately, or within a couple of months the number of catalogs decreased.  I keep a stack of catalogs next to my desk and periodically I go in and add them to my opt-out list.  I also check periodically to make sure the request to opt-out is honored.  A couple of companies are not on the Catalog Choice list, so if I have some free time, I actually call the company and ask to be taken off the mailing list and if I am in particular snarky mood I ask "How did you get my name?".

Just this morning I got a mailing from Whole Foods, and I don't want to keep receiving this, AND they are not on Catalog Choice so right after I push send on this blog post I am going to call them.

In the 10 years that I have been using Catalog Choice to opt-out I have only run into a half a dozen companies who are not on the list who I haver had to then call.

My two pet peeves for waste of resources are bottles of water and wasted print received through the mail.  I hope that my efforts on both of these fronts are having a positive result for our precious earth so that it is around for my grand children and in better shape than we received it.