IN PRAISE OF VOLUNTEERS

I and all the residents of Epiphany House would like to thank personally all the volunteers who have made our Christmases so lovely and meaningful over the years, particularly this one.  Since most of you who decorate and bring party food and presents are anonymous, I hope this one note will reach you and touch your heart as you have touched ours.

Early in December, you brought the Christmas decorations over from their storage place at Gallagher Mansion and proceeded to assemble and decorate our three Christmas trees and our tables, and put other Christmas decorations on every flat surface!  Then, on December 17, was the Christmas party:  food and music and a visit from Santa with a present for every resident.

I cannot emphasize how much these individual presents mean in terms of combating the Christmas “blues” (my family is six states away and I miss them).  The residents are asked to fill out a paper with a list of three presents they would like to receive, one of which they will get.  This year I put down a garden trowel, a garden soil scraper, and a Good and Easy Cookbook, which I planned to give to my son (his bride does not cook).

What I received was the loveliest cookbook I have ever seen, Cooking Light (Magazine’s) Complete Cookbook.  It is three inches thick with the most tantalizing recipes I have seen outside Julia Child.  What particularly touched me was that someone inquired about who I am, found out that my hobby is fine cooking, which I indulge in once a month or so, and that I have just lost 47 lbs. and in the mood for new, lower calorie recipes.  I cherish the gift and the giver!

This isn’t the first time I have been surprised by my Christmas gift, although this one was overwhelming.  Last year I asked for dish towels, figuring the grocery store would do nicely, and I got lovely, thick decorator colors that match my kitchen.  The year before I asked for a glass bowl in which to display fruit desserts.  I received a tower pedestal bowl, with room enough for me to serve Peaches in Raspberry Sauce for all the residents next summer when peaches are in season!

Christmas, of course, is more than presents.  The day after the decorations were in place, I came downstairs in the very early morning, plugged in the Christmas tree lights, turned out the Common Area lights, and simply sat down and let the spirit of Christmas sink in.  The decorations that I see every year fill up a tremendous void in me, and I went back up to bed filled with joy to light my own Christmas candles.

So thank you for all your efforts, taking time away from your own Christmas to make Christmas a reality for residents you may not even know.  May your Christmases be as bright as the Christmas you have made for us here at Epiphany House!

Pat Fulda

Epiphany House Resident