SEASONAL CONSIDERATIONS: Day 8 of 31 Days of Creative Caring

Have you ever noticed that our society becomes strangely more benevolent during the Christmas season?

 
It seems to me that if we REALLY care about people, we’ll show it year-round.
 
People I know who work at places like nursing homes and women’s shelters tell me that during the holidays they receive a lot of special care from both individuals and groups (civic, religious, families, etc.).  But the rest of the year, there’s a significant reduction in the amount of special care offered to their residents by the community.
 

I suggest we change that!

 
Let’s practice creative caring at other seasons of the year, too. Why not get a group of friends together and decorate wheelchairs (or doors) at a local nursing home for Halloween?  Do it again for Valentine’s Day … and Easter … and any other time you can.  By the way, July is Wheelchair Beautification Month.

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Why not provide seasonal “No visitors” signs for a hospital?  There have been times when I’ve gone to the hospital to visit someone who is very ill.  I’ve often known in advance that the family has requested no visitors.  But I’ve also known that taped to the patient’s closed door there will almost always be a too-many-times-copied piece of paper asking visitors to sign their names and the date/time of their visit so the patient’s family will know who stopped by.  They’ll know who’s thinking of them … and holding them close in prayer.
 

Instead of having to sign such a depressing sheet of paper, wouldn’t it be nicer to be met with the same message printed on a “happy” seasonal computer paper?

 
It’s always possible to find attractive papers for a reasonable price (Dollar Tree, end-of-season clearance, etc.), so why not offer to keep a local hospital supplied with some seasonal ones for their use?  Obviously, unless yours is a small hospital like the one in my community, you may need to limit yourself to one particular wing of the hospital … OR you could enlist others to help!  Once you have a template made with the hospital’s preferred “No visitors” message, it doesn’t take long at all to print a stack.

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What other seasonal, creative caring things have you done … or seen someone do?

 
This post is part of a 31-day series. To read previous posts, go HERE.

Related posts:

CARING ON A SHOESTRING: Day 3 of 31 Days of Creative Caring Creative Caring COMMUNITY HELPERS: Day 23 of 31 Days of Creative Caring CARE PACKAGES: Day 21 of 31 Days of Creative Caring