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Page 2 of 12 “Was in the spring/And spring became the summer/Who’d have believed you’d come along.” Sweet Caroline
Lyrics by Neil Diamond Hi! Welcome to Caregivers Café. I’m Jackie; this is my dear friend Jeff and we’re so glad you’ve dropped by.   Jeff and I have been caregivers for a long time; but, like you, we’re also lots more than caregivers. Jeff is the Chair of a national grassroots organization based in Denver, Colo., called the Alliance for Holistic Aging. He conducts caregiver workshops around the country and helps families like yours with information and resources. He’s also one of those special people who you like the minute you meet him; probably because he truly cares about other people; genuinely listens to them, and sincerely wants to find ways to help them.
I have been a teacher and creator of beautiful learning environments my whole life: first teaching precious preschoolers; then equally precious neurologically impaired children; and finally creating life enrichment programs for seniors and elders. I speak to consumers and families, healthcare providers and professionals about how to bring Quality of Life into the lives of those we love. One day, a colleague heard me speak at a national conference and insisted that I meet Jeff because “you both care deeply about the challenges facing families in our country and you need to meet one another." Jeff and I met at a small café that evening and talked for hours and hours; and, just as Neil Diamond declared in his song “Sweet Caroline," it didn’t seem so lonely because a fellow journeyer was “reaching out, touching me." That was the beginning of Caregiver Café, a place you can come to where “it don’t seem so lonely;" and if you hurt, the hurting can run off your shoulders because there will always be “hands, touching hands, reaching out, touching me, touching you.” Look Who's Here
Please come by often, day or night; pull up a comfortable chair, have a cup of coffee, tea, or, my personal favorite, a mocha frappuccino light; see who’s here; and what we’re talking about. Jeff and I have wonderful, special friends from all over the country, with expertise and real-life experiences, wisdom and wonder, sense and sensibility that they want to share with you. We never know just who or when they’ll drop by…so we’ll get to be as surprised as you!! But we can assure you that we’ll be talking about way more than caregiving. We’ll be talking about real life…our dreams; our transitions; our beliefs. We really hope you join in the conversation and come to the Café often. Cordial After-Thoughts
Oh, yes, there’s one more thing I have to mention about Caregiver Café…We’ll always send you on your way with a special treat that you can take home and savor as often as you wish. So, I urge each of you to: “Live the way you are meant to live; live in your heart and not in your head. Live in your heart, each and every day, partaking of that day’s blessings, fully and joyfully. Live in your heart, remembering that happiness is found in the journey, not the destination.”
Excerpt from Into the Heart, by J. Pinkowitz
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