Wings Of A Nightingale

Together As One-

As I see the massive, unimaginable, heart-wrenching devastation left by super typhoon Yolanda in central Philippines, the first words that flew out of my mouth were “Lord Have Mercy”. In the succeeding days that followed, reports via television and social networks escalated, different opinions (mostly negative) overflowed, which made everything hard to bear. Most of the time, I no longer want to know the updates…

As in every catastrophic incident that happens all over the world, humanitarian ripple effect has again been tested and proven. Countries were sending aid in every which way possible. Donations kept pouring in, volunteers came to help heal and treat the sick, soldiers helped maintain peace and order. The gestures were over-whelming!

As the lyrics of the song “we are all a part of God’s great big family”, the whole world came together as one to lend a helping hand, to help this small nation recover and rebuild. The Filipino people will be forever grateful…

-Lark-
11.14.13

Chance

Chance, by definition means “a possibility of something happening”. But I am not writing this, to give you a vocabulary lesson. I’m writing this to tell you a story, how Chance touched our lives. It was kind of a serendipitous way how and when he came into my life, in the lives of some people who happened to know about him, and in the lives of the residents in a skilled nursing facility where I work.

So…, who is Chance, and what is so special about him? Before I go on, let me be clear: Chance is a doll. Yes, a boy-doll?
And this is his story…

When I first saw his picture in one of the magazines, I instantly fell in love with him, that prompted me to search for him on-line. You may call it an obsession, but at that time, I could not get my mind off his beautiful, adorable, and angelic smile, and I knew in my heart, I have to have him, and he will be called Chance…period!

The day after he came (delivered via FedEx), and I showed him around the facility, he readily captured the hearts of our residents. Some cuddled him, some even talked to him as if he is a real baby. From then on, Chance had been a part of the daily activities in the facility. He goes around with the Activity staff to make room visits to those residents who stay in bed. He also participates in their “reminiscing’ session. Observing the response of the residents, I came to realize that despite of their loss of short term memory, they still retained that “parenting instinct”.

One female resident who is at risk for falls due to inability to retain safety instructions, stayed in her wheelchair while cuddling Chance. Another Cantonese speaking resident, who was holding Chance while waiting for her dinner in the dining room told (in her dialect) a Certified Nurses Aid to feed Chance, as he might be hungry too, then change his diaper as he might be wet already. Yet another French elderly resident sang him a French song while bouncing him on her knees. Oh, and would you believe that one resident chose not to have her scheduled manicure because she’s “holding the baby”? These and many more situations happening everyday, are simply heart-warming! I had been tempted and how I wished that I could capture these memorable moments with my camera and share them with you…but because of “privacy protocol”, unfortunately, I just can’t. My friend, a poet and a writer, who knew about Chance and have seen his pictures on-line said: He looks so real, and if I’m not careful, I’ll start believing that he is indeed real. It’s easy to get carried away!

Chance…
He will continue to put a smile on the faces of those who know him. He will continue to remind and bring back at least some fragments of our residents past life as a person, as a mother or a father, or as a grandparent; when in the most part, their memory have been blurred and overshadowed by the inevitable aging process, and by Alzheimer’s disease or Dementia.

If he can make a difference in the lives of people, if he can put a smile on their faces and make someone happy, then by all means…I will continue to look forward for a possibility of something positive happening, and take taht chance, with Chance.

-Lark-
11.04.13