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www.mycnews.com • Community News – St. Louis County • July 6, 2022 Senior Living 5

The wishing willow tree

By Vicki Bahr

I don’t know what was there before they built the house we moved into when I was four. More questions that I wish I had asked before the people who would know the answers were no longer here. Those kinds of things weren’t important at the time. The ground may have been part of a neighbor’s lot, or it may have been an empty lot to begin with. I just know our house was a new build, and the other houses on the block were older.

It was a small brick, two-bedroom, one bathroom cottage, large enough for my parents and their two girls, with a nice fenced yard and a small patio. Dad and Grandpa installed a swing set at some point, but until then the highlight of our backyard was the weeping willow tree way in the back of the yard (or so it seemed to my four-year-old self). For some reason, I always pronounced it a wishing willow tree, not a weeping willow, and the pronunciation stayed for the six years we lived there.

The tree was small, I’m sure, but the sweeping branches were large enough to sit under, and hide under, and create an entire pretend kingdom under. I remember sitting on blankets under the tree with my mom and my baby sister, reading books, coloring pictures and eating picnic lunches. Mom had a hillside of flowers just beyond the tree, where the yard sloped down to the back fence, which helped lend a sense of privacy to my wishing willow tree.

As my little sister grew up, she crept more and more into my world. I found myself wishing for more privacy, and encouraged Gail to play in the sandbox or climb across the top of the swing set and do acrobatic tricks… one of which caused a fall and an emergency house call from the doctor who put a couple of stitches into her forehead right there on our dining room table.

The wishing tree was suddenly no longer my own. Gail could climb higher into the branches than I could because she was smaller and lighter, and I envied her that freedom when the wind blew through her hair and the branches flowed around her.

But the wishes were all mine. I wished for the second-grade teacher who ran homework assignments off on the mimeograph machine on colored paper… pink and blue and green seemed so much more fun for working out long division problems. The wishing willow gave me that wish, and I remembered that trick years later when helping our own kids with their homework.

I wished for white puffy clouds in the shapes of animals on summer afternoons, and buttered noodles for dinner, and for a valentine from my third-grade boyfriend, Darrell, and the wishes came true.

I set up our little red metal folding table and chairs under the wishing willow tree and did my homework there. It always seemed easier to memorize spelling words and state capitals and multiplication tables under the quiet shade of my wishing willow, even if Gail was also there coloring her kindergarten pages or blowing bubbles from high up in the branches above me.

It was a hallowed spot, one that granted wishes and brought peace to my world, and weeping willows have always been favorites of mine because of it.

Soon after my second little sister was born, we started spending weekends driving to look at display homes that would give us more room in far-away North County. To our parents’ credit, it was a fun time of closet exploration and choosing favorite subdivision names, watching our basement being dug and our new home’s walls being built. I was able to find treasures of nails and small pieces of wood and errant bits of metal that I could arrange into abstract masterpieces under the wishing willow, not entirely aware of the fact that boxes and moving trucks could ensure that our possessions would magically show up on Mockingbird Lane, but that some very important things had to be left behind on Amelia Avenue.

There were no trees in our new subdivision; there were no fences or flowers or bushes or even much grass. The wishing willow was left behind, along with all its storm-blown memories and lazy summer afternoon secrets. I had learned to read under its branches, and I wondered if any other little girls would be lucky enough to know its magic.

We found out a few years later that the new owners had removed the tree to make space for a garage to be built. Of course, by then, I was mature enough to understand that the weeping willow had simply been a tree, and it had no magical powers or wish-granting properties.

But now, to the much older me, it will always be my wishing willow, and I love the memories and the smile it brings to my heart.

Vicki Bahr is an inveterate word lover and story sharer, a published author in magazine, newspaper and blog forms. As a mom of four, grandma of nine, and wife of one for nearly fifty years, she finds that inspiration and wonder are everywhere.

The opinions expressed in this column are the columnist’s alone and do not reflect the opinion of the owners or staff of Community News.

Christian Hospital EMS nationally recognized for its commitment to quality care for severe heart attacks

Christian Hospital has received the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline EMS Gold Plus achievement award for its commitment to offering rapid, research-based care to people experiencing the most severe form of heart attack, ultimately saving lives.

Each year, more than 250,000 people experience a type of heart attack known as an ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), caused by a blockage of blood flow to the heart that requires timely treatment. To prevent death, it is critical to restore blood flow as quickly as possible by either mechanically opening the blocked vessel or using clot-busting medication.

Mission: Lifeline is the American Heart Association’s national initiative to advance the system of care for patients with high-risk, time-sensitive disease states, such as severe heart attacks. The program helps reduce barriers to prompt treatment for heart attacks – starting from when 911 is called, to EMS transport and continuing through hospital treatment and discharge. Optimal care for heart attack patients takes coordination between the individual hospital, EMS and health care system.

“The health care professionals who interact with a patient even before he or she enters the hospital or emergency room play a vital part in the system of care for those who have heart attacks,” said James G. Jollis, M.D., volunteer chair for the GWTG-CAD Systems of Care Advisory Work Group and professor of medicine at Duke University School of Medicine. “Since they are the first medical point of contact, they can save precious minutes of treatment time by activating the emergency response system that alerts hospitals to an incoming heart attack patient.”

The Mission: Lifeline achievement award is earned by agencies that demonstrate a commitment to treating patients according to the most up-to-date research-based practices as outlined by the American Heart Association. www.truehold.com

The J to host biannual used book sale

The St. Louis Jewish Community Center’s biannual Used Book Sale returns from Aug. 28-Sept. 1 with offerings in every genre, including mysteries, general fiction, nonfiction, children’s books, and much more.

“The Used Book Sale at the J is a great place to find amazing bargains and valuable collectibles, “said Lynn Wittels, President and CEO of the J. “The sale is well recognized by book dealers and the literature community as being among the best in the St. Louis region.”

Preview day is Aug. 28 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. with a $10 admission and free admission begins on Monday. Hours are 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. Monday-Wednesday and on Thursday customers can fill a bag for $5 between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Masks are required for entry.

For updated and complete information visit https:// jccstl.com/programs/used-book-sale/.

Northwest Views:

By Christie Derbin

Help is out there for people newly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis

There are nearly one million people living in the U.S. with multiple sclerosis (MS) and for those who are newly diagnosed it can often be challenging time. If you, or a loved one, have recently been diagnosed with MS you may not even know where to begin. Chances are you’ve never heard about MS or know what this means in terms of the rest of your life. You’re probably feeling overwhelmed, even a little scared, and possibly relief in finally knowing what to call all these strange symptoms you’ve been having.

But no one must face MS alone. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society is here to help provide the support, resources and information you need to move your life forward. Many people find it helpful to start by gathering the facts. Learning as much as you can about MS and getting answers to common questions can help you feel confident and in control of your health.

New to MS: Navigating Your Journey Virtual Program is way to connect and learn with others who are new to MS. This program offers information about MS and symptoms, how to manage MS, and living well with MS. There will be opportunities to engage with other attendees, ask questions of a healthcare professional, and share your own experiences.

This program is offered monthly on the second Thursday of the month and the content is the same each month. Space is limited, and sessions regularly reach capacity. You can register at nationalmssociety. org or by calling 800-344-4867.

Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and the body.

The National MS Society’s vision is a world free of MS, and our mission is to stop MS in its track, restore what has been lost and end MS forever. To support our work, please visit nationalmssociety.org/donate

Christie Derbin is the President for the National MS Society, Gateway Market. She has extensive experience in nonprofit management and appreciates the impact philanthropic organizations are making in our community. She is a native St. Louisan and graduate of Saint Louis University.

The opinions expressed in this column are the columnist’s alone and do not reflect the opinion of the owners or staff of Community News.

www.hoodsauto.com

MSBA recognizes Ladue School District Board of Education with Governance Team Award

Photo courtesy Ladue School District

(From left) Ladue Schools Board of Education members Jennifer Growe Soshnik, Sheldon Johnson, Marissa Rosen, Dr. Jim Wipke, Kisha M. Lee, Carolyn Jaeger, Andy Bresler and Jeffrey Kopolow received the Missouri School Boards’ Association Governance Team Award.

On June 12, the Missouri School Boards’ Association recognized Superintendent Dr. Jim Wipke and the Ladue Schools Board of Education for receiving the Missouri School Boards’ Association Governance Team Award. The Governance Team Award allows MSBA to recognize school boards and their superintendent for commitment to continuous improvement through ongoing professional development, regional and statewide leadership, and active participation in legislative advocacy for public schools and the students they serve.

“I am not surprised that our board of education would receive such a prestigious award,” Wipke said following the award presentation. “Our board members consistently go above and beyond with their professional development and strive for excellence.”

The award was presented to Kisha Lee, Ladue Schools Board of Education president, and Carolyn Jaeger, director, during MSBA’s Igniting Great Ideas Summit held June 10-12 in St. Charles.