Reflections
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Dear Friends, We at Crossroads House are truly blessed. Not only by the people who enter our doors but also by everyone who has faithfully provided the financing to ensure family members bid us farewell with a sense of peace and closure. Crossroads House continues to be 100% funded by community donations and thanks to this ongoing support we have never gone without. Crossroads House is a home, not a facility, and provides all the amenities of home for guests with less than three months to live. We especially thank the First Presbyterian Church of Batavia for the use of the building we call home. Our ministry is locally owned and operated, volunteer driven, and community supported. Each year we come to the community with the opportunity to invest in this valuable ministry. From your personal experience you are well aware the cost of living has gone up over the years and so has our cost of comfort care. It is because of this that it is imperative we raise $50,00.00 during this year’s annual “Heart of Caring Campaign.” Please help us reach our goal by sending a donation to Crossroads House. Your gift will provide an opportunity for our guests to live life to the fullest surrounded with family, love and peace. Thank you dear friends. We are eternally grateful for your continuing support. Sincerely, Crossroads House Board of Directors |
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Enrich YOUR Life Have you ever said, "I'll never do THAT!" only to find yourself doing exactly what you did not want to do? For example, have you ever said, "I'll never let myself get that overweight!" or "I will never let myself look old!" Can any of you remember when gas was 19 cents a gallon and you swore that you would NEVER pay over 20 cents a gallon? When I was growing up, there were only a few things women were allowed to do for a living: secretarial work, nursing, or teaching. With those choices, how many of you did not EVER want to go into the nursing, care-giving, medical field? I have to admit that I am guilty of saying all of the above at one time or another. I am now trying to fight the weight battle, my hair is more than salt and pepper colored, and I pay a lot more for gas than 20 cents a gallon. In regards to the care-giving field, I am currently very involved in Crossroads House and patient care, a choice I made hesitantly. There are many stages a person goes through during his or her lifetime. In some of the stages you are the care receiver and in some you are the caregiver. In every stage care is always involved, no matter how independent you think you are. You may be a child, a sibling, a friend, or a mate. You give or receive physical, emotional or spiritual support throughout your life, whether you choose to do so or not! At this time I am choosing to do so and am totally involved with Crossroads House. When I began I felt that I would not want to do patient care but would rather do more fund-raising and work around the house in any way that I could. I did not feel capable of patient care. I was very wrong in my assessment of my skills. I have raised children, cared for dying parents and friends and, thus, developed many of the skills necessary for patient care, as have all of you! When I recently retired, I thought I would have more time but have become so busy that I wondered how I did most of the things I did while I was working. I felt that it was time to give back to the community and to people in need so I became involved with Crossroads House and its wonderful mission of providing a comfort home for the dying. I must admit that I am not a blessing for Crossroads House but the residents of Crossroads House and the staff and volunteers are a much greater blessing to me. Each resident is an individual and, due to the shortness of time, we make our relationships quickly and develop a wonderful bond. They never cease to amaze me with their humor and attitude about dying. They touch me with their frankness and sincerity. We laugh and reminisce together and share the short time we have with a calmness and peace that I did not know existed. There is a saying that goes, "Try it, you'll like it." I think that, with work at Crossroads House, it should say, "Try it, you'll LOVE it!" You will not know unless you spend some time there to see exactly what it is like and meet the wonderful people involved there. I challenge you to drop in or call to get more information. I am positive that your life will be as enriched as mine has been by not only the staff and volunteers but mostly by the residents themselves.
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