Another friendly face will no longer greet me in the lobby or at the mailbox in the apartment building where I live. Another sad leaving of one of the tenents to a nursing home. She is in her 90's, as are a suprisingly number of people here, and it was becoming too difficult for her to live alone. I just went down to her vacated apartment where a daughter was having a "garage sale" and purchased a few items that were Lillian's - to remember her by. A small tray covered in a bright strawberry pattern, an oval clear frosted glass suncatcher with a mauve butterfly in the center, a set of 5 lovely drinking glasses, a tan knit scarf and a white angel teddy bear with blue wings and halo for my son Jim's Beanie Baby collection. Jim used to live here also before he went to a group home and he will be happy with something that was Lillian's, as she was always kind to him. I will post photos when I get them taken later today. It is sad whenever a person leaves here. Sometimes it is by ambulance and they transfer from the hospital and there is no chance to say goodbye. Lillian used to sit in the lobby at all times of the day and evening. A small, frail little lady. I always knew that she sat there because she felt safe in the public area and even if she didn't have much to say when others joined her, she seemed content to just be with people around her. Her family moved quickly with the move, choosing "not to tell her ahead of time so that she would not get upset" and this bothered many of us deeply that she had no warning to speak of and suddenly her things were being packed and she was gone and her friends here saying as all the moving was happening, "Lillian, don't you want us to take some photos of you before you go?" It upset her friends and brought home the vulnerability of us all. I hope that she is happy in her new home and that she has lots of people around her. I will send her a card today to let her know she is in my thoughts and prayers and that I will care for her possessions.
