Eternal Rest Grant unto You, Joan. May You Rest in Peace

In Loving Memory to Joan Hull.

Born to earthly life on July 23, 1943.

Born to eternal life saturday, December 19, 2009.

She touched many lives...

I worked with Joan for six months. Through my program on "Individual Therapeutic Integration: Sacred Drumming, Art and Reflective Discussion", she managed to tell and wrote her sacred story.

aging gracefully!

A group of elderly individuals of Borneo.

"Age is a gift"

"Don't let aging get you down. It is too hard to get back up"

Aging Gracefully: Expression of 17 older adults...

Aging Gracefully, an art work done by 17 older adults. What can you make out from this creative art?

...peacefulness of the soul...

"If you want to have inner peace, it really has to start from our inner self through the peacefulness of the soul, so that we can produce harmony when we work or mingle with people." DemocratandChronicle.com -Abas, May 30, 2006-.

"The gift of age"

God bless you sister. She will be 100 year-old on Nov 18.

The Holy Spirir's gift of wisdom and age.

"The gift of age"

Age does not stop a person from being creative.

...describe and interpret?

What an art?

..you always have you own "spiritual beats"!

Widsom of the Drums!

...a reality in Songsogon, Sabah, Borneo.

A stage of poverty, a sad situation of a poor elderly woman.

Songsogon, Sabah, Borneo.

How I wish I can be a real help toward this reality of poverty in my own country.

Anybody who would like to volunteer and reach out to venture to this area?

a gift to a 93 year old man!

I bought a radio/cd player for this 93 year old man who celebrated his birthday. He said, "thank you very much, I know how to operate this."

Happy 93 birthday (10/1/09)

You are great!

...is this an interpretation of loneliness?

I met an elderly man age 93, he said, "Loneliness is similar to an experience taking a walk alone in this picture."

...nothing can stop a person to express the feeling in art!

"What can an old woman like me do anymore?" But she produced this beautiful and meaningful creative art.

One Canvas with many color of expressions

One canvas with many color of expressions.

Done by 14 older adults who came together to share their "sacred stories" and put their feelings in this creative arts expression.

They met for 4 fridays.

Diversity + Unity = Harmony

You are Never too old or young to beat the drum. Each person has his/her own melody from the heart . Diversity + Unity = HARMONY

....nothing is impossible...

Work of 10 elderly individuals!

10 elderly (women and men) ages 75-99 who were mentally and physically challenged drew this creative arts.

Some of them encountered problem in expressing themselves but they used their creative way by using arts!

...what would you say about this?

Another creative arts drawn by an 89 year old woman.

I believe there are "meanings" with this expressive arts.

...simple and humble arts...

Another beautiful creative arts expression done by a 91 year elderly woman.

There are "hidden" descriptions and interpretations in the simple and humble arts.

Meaningful...

Another creative arts expression done by a 91 year old elderly woman.

Are we giving up!

Giving up

Giving up implies a struggle
Giving up dreads the future
Giving up lives out of fear
Giving up is a defeat
Giving up is unwillingly yielding to forces beyond oneself
Giving up believes that God and the universe are to be feared

...simple but profound!

A piece of creative expression by a 91 year old woman.

Simple but profound!

He is still insightful...

He is still insightful...

Yesterday, I asked this man, "so what is your word of wisdom today?" This is what he said,

"Loneliness is similar to walking alone without companion." An 88 year old man.

...thank you very much...

"Thank you for giving me the opportunity to express my inner feeling. I was very down for the last few days." 88 year old woman.

It is very important to give a person the time to be heard and to be listened. The few minutes given to someone can surely help an individual to see and to feel that someone does care for her/him.

What do you say?

"I feel there is an emptiness in me. A kind of uneasiness feeling. Is this a kind of loneliness?" -88 year old woman-

...words that inspire me...

Today Iwas sitting and eating my lunch with four elderly individuals. One of them is 90 year old, one celebrated her 91 birthday yesterday. The other one will celebrate her 91 birthday next week. The youngest among them was 86 year old.

I ask the person who celebrated her 91 year old birthday, "what are your words of wisdom for me?" She replied, "Be gentle and caring to others." I said thank you to her. I then asked the other who will be celebrating her 91 birthday next week. She said, "Share your knowledge with others and give the best you can in your work."

I am thankful to these two women you gave me this inspiring words!

thank you, thank you

In two months time, she will be 100 year-old. Today she said to me, "thank you, thank you for singing." Today is her feast day. She smiled and said, thank you, thank you ! God bless her.

Feeling from the heart!

"All my life I have a family, all of sudden I am alone; my children are gone, my husband is gone, and I dont have the people around me that I have had all my life. To me, that is loneliness." -90 year old woman-

"I am glad that I am still alive"

"I am glad that I am still alive" said by 89 year old woman. She added by saying, "I hope God will continue to give me good health." Today she was very weak but at least that sentence came out from a mouth. It is always a new learning to new sentences, and statements spoken by the elderly individuals.

...a long hanging bridge...

I met an elderly woman yesterday. She told me that she never heard about Borneo Island. She said this sentence to me, "You know, it is hard to be alone and unable to do work like I used to do before." It is a kind of "handicapped" and I am lonely." I asked her to to make the connection between the two words-"handicapped" and "Loneliness", she said, "it is similar to a long hanging bridge". This is a profound statement.

...many thanks to you INA!

Kopivosian tadau kinohodion nu!

Today my Ina (mother) celebrates her 76 year old birthday. Many more blessing for you Ina.Thank you very much, you have done so much for all of us (your children, grandchildren and greatgrandchildren).

Ina with her greatgrandson Jay!

the uniquness of a day...

"I am not doing well today," said a 90 year old woman. She was very honest in telling her feeling to the others. This is a very important scenario where a person was able to freely express her feeling and still been respected by the others.

Each day I walk into this building where I work and at the end of the day I always gained a new insight of lived experience of an elderly individual.

" Is the weather good?"

Today a 90 year old woman repeatedly asked me this question:

How is the weather today? After five minutes she asked me again, "Is the weather good today?" then after 3 minutes she told me, "Must be good weather to go out today." She continued after five minutes and repeatedly said, "I think the weather is very good today." Finally after 4 minutes, she ased me again, "Do you think the weather is good today?"

This is the environment of my work, patience and gentleness with love are needed in this work place. God bless all these wonderful residents.

How can I be lonely?

How Can I be Lonely?

As I was feeling a special appreciation to this sister, for allowing me to become someone who somehow filled an “empty space” in her life – I was brought back to my previous study on loneliness, and the words “empty space” prompted my next question to her about the existence of loneliness in her life as well as in the lives of other people.
You know, I have had people come in here and say “Sister, aren’t you lonely in this room?” How could I be lonely ? I can’t tell everybody how much God and I are getting on, but how could I ever be lonely when He’s given me so much love. I can be as mad as I want at Him, but He doesn’t even care. People come in and say, “Sister, aren’t you lonely?” And I say, “How can I be lonely? First of all, I love to read. I can read all day long; everything I get my hands on. Then I pick out what means something to me and my friends who know I like to read are always bringing me something to read, too. I could read all day long and be happy. That’s what I like.

Loneliness is...

This painting was done by an elderly individual as an expression of her journey of life.

What some elderly individuals said when asked about the word "Loneliness" according to them:

I have this claustrophobic inside me, that makes me suppress internally and I feel that is loneliness. -Alice-

Loneliness is a kind of a void feeling and you want to get out of it. -Josephine-

Loneliness is a kind of emptiness; an empty feeling of being alone abandoned. -Sonia-

...the sacred sound of the drums...

It is always a joy to see and hear them beating the drums. Summer drumming session with the Peaceful Rhythmic Drumming.

...it means so much for her....

Another beautiful expression of a 99 year old woman. This is the beauty of the human feeling when each person is given a chance to express the inner feeling in the form of ARTS!

...love and care for them...

"You care of others and you do not care for me" an elderly woman said to me this morning. This is the everyday happening that I encountered. Often a person doesn't remember about me being there for him or her.

A good and loving heart is really needed to help the elderly individuals.

...do we have time for other?

An elderly woman said to me today. "How do I get myself happier?" She continued by saying, "Is God looking at my suffering?"

The two questions are not easy to answer, I just listened to her while she talked and talked.

I believe that this elderly woman just needs someone to talk and to listen to her.

She said to me, "Thank you for your time and listening to me."

..God give me strength"

"I am not well today with this suffering, it is hard for me." "Each day, I struggled to get up from my bed but I made it." She concluded, "God give me the strength." What an inspiring incident that I encountered today.

Story from 92 year old elderly woman.

...it is sad...

"He is looking at me." "No, he is looking at me." This 99 year old woman was very terrified when I approached. It is very sad to see this happening because yesterday she was able to talk and to recognize me. Unfortunately,today she has the fear to look at me. This is the daily ministry situation that I encountered each day.

"it is miracle...

Yesterday, 15 elderly individuals attended the peaceful hand drumming. The drumming took place outside under a huge tree.
A lady in her 90s who seldom speaks to anyone, yesterday she sang and the others were very surprised. I was overjoyed seeing her! "It is a miracle, it was the first time I ever heard her."

Picture will be posted soon!

...patience is needed each day...

"He is staring at me, he is staring at me" a 99 year old woman was referring to me. It happened while I was talking and I was looking at her. She was very afraid but I told her, "It is me, the person who played the drum with you." She replied, "the drum" and I said yes the drum. She finally smiled to me.

"what can an old lady like me do anymore?"

This morning a woman who is in her 90s said, "what can an old lady like me do anymore?" She walked very slow and get help from her friend. I responded to her, "we are all getting old." But she said, "while touching my face, she said you are very young." I know this woman referred very much on the "age" aspect but I was very fortunate to have talked with her. A woman with many experiences in her life!

"I no longer drive..."

This morning I visited a homebound woman, she is in her 80s. It was a very rewarding experience. She said, "I no longer drive, too often I am sick." I listened to her attentively and responded, "this must be very difficult for you." She continued to share by saying, "Yes because I used to drive, now I depend on other(s)." She also mentioned the word, "loneliness" this came out when she was saying that to be alone can be lonely." She concluded, "I no longer can be with my friends." "I miss them." This is only the "snapshot" of my converstaion with her.

God bless this woman, may the good Lord gives her peace and joy.

...summer peaceful drumming at MMH

The peaceful drumming will start again at the end of July at the MMH. Many of the residents have been asking me when will they be drumming again. I answered "very soon" the sound of the scared drums will be heard again at the MMH.

Joe, May you rest in Peace

I have known Joe for almost ten years. I used to visit him and his wife Angie at their home in Buffalo.

Joe, you are a great person. Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord and let perpetual light shines upon him, may he rests in Peace. Joe is 93 year old, what a blessing to have reached this age.

DILIBERTO - Joseph July 11, 2009, beloved husband of Angeline (nee Falsone); dear father of Joseph J. (Anna) and Diane Buscaglia; loving grandfather of Joseph R. (Janet), Michael T. (Elizabeth) Diliberto, Kristen (Paul) Macaluso, Charles Buscaglia and Deanna (Mark) Messinger and eight great-grandchildren; brother of the late James, Charles and Angie; also survived by nieces and nephews. Visitation Monday and Tuesday 4-8 PM at the PACER FUNERAL HOME, INC., 2275 George Urban Blvd. (two blocks east of Dick Rd.). Mass of Christian Burial at St. Mary's Church, 6919 Transit Rd., Swormville, Wednesday at 10 AM. Joe was a member of Sheet Metal Worker's Union Local 71 and Conservation Corp. In lieu of flowers, donations to Brothers of Mercy Nursing & Rehab Center. Online condolences at www.PACERFUNERALHOME.com

...arrived safely from Paris!

I was in Paris from July 4-10 attending and presenting at the 19th IAGG - World Congress of Gerontology and Geriatrics.
I will be sharing more about this event soon.

Peace

...be gentle and listen to each elderly...

"I want to go home, I want to go home." An elderly woman was saying and she wanted to be heard. She is 92 year old and infact she has been residing in this place for many years.
She wheeled herself slowly while saying, "I want to go now, I want to go home."

I approached her and gently said, "I believe you really miss your home, your garden and beautiful flowers." She immediately replied, "Yes, I planted many flowers." I continued tell me the different flowers you had planted." She smiled and continued to tell me.

This incident is a lesson for anyone who is caring the elderly individual. A caregiver needs to know of how to respond this type of situation.

..an inspiration to me...

A 90 year old woman shared this sentence with me this morning. "What can an old lady like me do?" I looked, gave her a smile and said, "you are an inspiration to me each day, as I walked into this building." She can be 90 year old but this woman is still very insightful with her thoughts! I learned a lot from her especially her lived experiences.

...a joy to hear...

Today it is a joy for me to hear when an elderly person said, "I am thankful, I have another to live my life."

How many of us appreciate our lived experiences each day?