Community Matters Aberdeen Village
May 2015
Older Americans Month 2015: “Get into the Act” Older adults are a vital part of our society. Since 1963, communities across the country have shown their gratitude by celebrating Older Americans Month each May. The theme of this year’s celebration is “Get into the Act,” to focus on how older adults are taking charge of their health, getting engaged in their communities, and making a positive impact in the lives of others. By promoting and engaging in activity, wellness, and inclusivity, more Americans than ever before can “Get into the Act.” While Presbyterian Manors of MidAmerica campuses provides quality senior services guided by Christian values to older adults year-round, Older Americans Month offers an opportunity to emphasize how older adults can access the home- and community-based services they need to live independently in their communities. It is also an occasion to highlight how older adults are engaging with and making a difference in those communities. Throughout the month,Aberdeen Village will be conducting activities designed to highlight the contributions of seniors to the greater community. CEO, continued on page 4
Bloom in your own season -Rev. Dr. Larry Thornton, chaplain
Once upon a time there was a spring season when the daffodils popped out of the ground and, as usual, bloomed before all of the other flowers. But this year they made fun of the other flowers which were just beginning to send their green shoots into the air. “Look at us with golden blooms! You tulips and iris and chrysanthemums are nothing. We have beautiful blossoms and you are just insignificant foliage,” they said. Then one day, the daffodils lost their blooms, just about the time the tulips were beginning to flower. The tulips, having had their fill of all the bragging done by the daffodils, had to have their say. So they did the same thing to the other flowers. “Look at the glory of our colors,” they said to the peonies and lilies. “You can’t do this.You are nothing.” At the end of the summer, the chrysanthemums made their fantastic appearance with amazing colors. They screamed at what was left of the other plants, “You are nothing but ‘has been.’ We are the greatest.”
A proud member of Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America
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Aberdeen Village’s Art is Ageless exhibit and reception features senior artists They are teachers, farmers, veterans, homemakers, entrepreneurs and nurses, among many others. Some have resumed art after putting it aside for a career, others have been creating beautiful pieces throughout their lives, and others never picked up a brush until after they retired, but all are now expressing themselves through art.
are not.
exhibit is open April 21 to May 20.
“It’s inspiring to see the beautiful pieces these seniors have created,” said Community Relations Director Suzanne Willey. “The joy it brings to them and others is wonderful, and that’s something we want to celebrate and share with the broader Olathe community.”
In addition to the exhibit, Aberdeen Village will honor local senior artists during a reception at 3 p.m. May 15.
These diverse lives intersect at Aberdeen Village this month with the Art is Ageless® program, which reaffirms the agelessness of human creativity. Studies show seniors who are involved in the arts report better health, have more positive attitudes and are more active than those who
The Art is Ageless exhibit will feature works from local artists who are 65 and older, including a few Aberdeen Village residents. The public is welcome to visit the community to view the exhibit of acrylics, oils, photography and various other mediums, including amateur and professional levels. The
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Community Matters is published monthly for residents and friends of Aberdeen Village by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Learn more at: PresbyterianManors.org. Tim Allin, executive director To submit or suggest articles for this publication, contact Suzanne Willey, community relations director, swilley@pmma.org. Telephone: 913-599-6100 Fax: 913-599-3810 Address: 17500 W. 119th St., Olathe, KS 66061-9524 Our mission: We provide quality senior services guided by Christian values.
Of course flowers do not actually do this, but we as human beings do it all the time. People are like flowers. Some bloom early and some bloom late, yet our culture wants everyone to bloom at the same time. It expects that at a certain age all must think and act like a given norm. All 5-year-olds, 35-year-olds or all 85-year-olds must conform to the same textbook image. We have not learned the lesson of the flowers. It’s not very appropriate for those who are in bloom to criticize those who are not. Nor does it do any good to scoff at those who no longer can show the talent and beauty of another time. The greenery of the plants have their own majestic beauty even when there is no flower. God gives individual gifts and at different times to each of us. This is
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Community Matters May 2015
The Art is Ageless program has been encouraging creativity in seniors for more than 30 years and is sponsored by Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America, a nonprofit organization that owns and operates 18 senior living communities in Kansas and Missouri. Each year the organization publishes an Art is Ageless calendar, featuring works by senior artists. Proceeds from the sale of calendars are reinvested into new art programs and opportunities for PMMA residents.
the way we see God’s creation. If all of the flowers were identical and they all bloomed at the same time it would be a dull world. So it is with people. Remember the wisdom from the Scriptures. “God has made everything beautiful in its time… this is the gift of God” (Ecclesiastes 3:11, 13). Because God made everything beautiful in its time, we must try to find the sweetness in our lives and in the lives of others just as we try to find the sweetness in our food. Here’s a recipe for aging and blooming: Be positive, get up, get out, smile, read something that is funny, do something nice for someone! When people ask, “How are you?” why not say, “I am blessed and still vertical!” Give thanks for the beauty and joy we have in the Lord today!
Life Imitates Art for the Minters Before moving to Aberdeen Village about 16 months ago, Kenneth and Esther Minter lived on 100 acres in Maryville, Mo. – mostly forested land that was perfect for a former biologist and science teacher. “We had a lot of deer and all the animals you could think of on our property,” said Esther. “And everything we stuck in the ground just grew. We always had a lot of fun.” “Fun” on their land consisted of eating some of the wild things that grew and creating unique recipes with what they harvested. “We picked our own wild gooseberries and wild red and black raspberries,” said Esther. “We would
go mushroom hunting in the spring and pick wild asparagus that grew in the ditches that the birds planted. We also liked to eat violets – they are so pretty in fruit or vegetable
salad. I also decorated cakes with them. And I ate dandelion leaves in salad and would put the blossoms in pancakes.” Esther’s artistic side also inspired her to create recycled art out of found objects. “I just love to play around with things in the yard,” said Esther. “I used a big wooden spool for a table and tree stumps for benches. When we moved onto the land, we found pieces and parts of bicycles that we welded together. I put that in the garden. And we had a blue bottle tree – we found the best cedar tree in the woods with branches pointing up that could be perfect for holding bottles. We had close to 60 bottles on this tree.”
You know the saying, “One man’s junk is another man’s treasure.” But for Kenneth and Esther, who have been married 62 years, it’s just about doing what’s right.
“We think we should be stewards of the Earth,” said Esther. “We believe we should use what we have as much as possible. Make the most of it and just have fun. Not everyone has that choice.” It’s a philosophy that Esther and Kenneth share with other residents at Aberdeen Village. “We have lots of freedoms at Aberdeen Village – and having those garden plots already made was wonderful,” said Esther. “We share what we grow. One neighbor gave us rhubarb so I made a rhubarb pie. And I was just out burning designs on the wood box for the heck of it.” Aberdeen Village
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Tulips help to grow Good Samaritan Program Colorful paper tulips – each representing a gift to the Good Samaritan Program for Benevolent Care – are adding to the spring decorations at PMMA’s senior living communities. Prior donors received a mailing in April, inviting a gift in honor or tribute to a special woman in their lives. A paper tulip was included. The tulip may be returned with the gift to the PMMA campus of the donor’s choice. Tulips will be displayed through May. The Good Samaritan Program assists PMMA residents who have run out of funds through no fault of their own. To make a gift and hang a tulip, contact your local PMMA campus.
Coming Up in Community Matters In a future issue of Community Matters, we will be focusing on summer travel. Were you a summer traveler? Do you have a great vacation story or travel story to tell? Contact Community Relations Director Suzanne Willey with your story, you may be selected to share in an upcoming Community Matters.
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Community Matters May 2015
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