So often we have heard that Christmas time is the time to be jolly and deck the halls with boughs of holly. But how often do we pause long enough to think about the “shut-ins” in our nursing homes?
So often we have heard that Christmas time is the time to be jolly and deck the halls with boughs of holly. But how often do we pause long enough to think about the “shut-ins” in our nursing homes?
A group of Okmulgee Lions did - James Thompson, Beth Flud, Kelly Baehler and Ron Martin. They visited with the residents of Highland Park Manor Nursing Home on Monday, Dec. 18, passing out around 60 home-made Christmas cards fashioned by Kelly.
In hearing Lion James recount the blessing he received from this act of kindness, it reminded me of the oft-used phrase, “it warmed the cockles of my heart.” Have you ever wondered how that phrase came to be? Yeah, me, too, so I looked it up.
Well, a cockle is the chamber of a kiln (oven), and some of you probably know that our hearts are made up of four chambers, left and right atria, and left and right ventricles. And something pleasant makes our heart beat faster and makes us feel good. Thus, giving us that “warm and fuzzy feeling.” There, so now we all know!
As if that wasn’t enough, the next day (Tuesday), following the annual Lions-Rotary Coleman’s Pie Bingo meeting, another group paid another visit to Highland Park Nursing Home. This group consisted of Lions Mike Morrison and Beth Flud, Okmulgee High School Principal Ty Allen, Zander Thierry (High School Leadership Team), Talia Rice and Kenneth Cunningham. The Leadership Team and Special Education students had made 130 Christmas cards for the nursing home residents. Don’t you know that everyone got that “warm and fuzzy feeling” all over again?
Wow! What a lesson these students are giving back to our community. According to the Bible, much is their reward in Heaven.
“WE SERVE.”
