Gifts by Anne Silvia

A little over ten years ago I received an amazing opportunity, one that has enriched my life in ways I never anticipated. With this opportunity came gifts, hundreds of gifts in the form of the most beautiful and amazing human beings imaginable. The first gifts that I received was a team of the most dedicated and compassionate individuals I’ve ever had the good fortune to work beside, for it is the combined efforts of these gifts that have created a COA to be proud of. As time marched on, more and more gifts entered my life during the senior years of their lives, each very special to me in their own way. Sadly, over the years, many of these gifts have left this world but I will always hold them dear to my heart. And as if all of these gifts that I have received weren’t enough, hundreds of gifts from the community poured into my life. These gifts presented as agencies, organizations and individuals who shared the same mission of the COA…”to improve quality of life for all seniors”. They were always ready and willing to provide the COA with anything we needed to enhance our mission. To these gifts, I am sincerely grateful.

One snowy day in January, Sally, one of the gifts of my life, gave me this beautiful water color painting that she so kindly painted for me. As someone who has a great appreciation for art, the painting spoke to me. As I looked at the painting through teary eyes, I realized the painting symbolized what has been ten of the best years of my life. The painting is of the front of the Fairhaven senior center. A small corner of the front door can be seen, which to me, symbolizes the opportunity of a lifetime that I so gratefully have received. It also reminds me of all the gifts who have walked through this door. The plant pot with the yellow flowers makes me think of change. Each season, the contents of the pot changes to celebrate what the season will bring, much like the appreciated changes the COA provides to the lives of those seniors who enter. The flag tucked between the blooms in the plant pot, without a doubt, fondly reminds me of the veterans who proudly adorn the entire length of the “Land of the Free Because of the Brave” wall inside the senior center. They will forever be imbedded in my heart. And then the gorgeous cherry tree with hundreds of individual pink petals each coming together to create the hundreds and hundreds of gifts that I have received these past ten years.

I once had a nursing supervisor who passed on a piece of advice. She said when leaving one job for another, you should take something from that job you received with you to your next endeavor. How fortunate am I to be able to take with me hundreds of gifts whether they are in the form of incredible people, precious memories or an amazing experience of a lifetime.                                                                         Anne Silvia