EdItoR's NoTe
iffA
06Arl'HERWOOD
C
The Heatherwood
Takes you There.
A Whole Family
Our driver... at
your service!
I
was at Discovery Zone the other
day, not exactly the place you'd
expect to feel overwhelmed by a
gentle moment. Children screaming
and laughing, all those games with
ringing bells and basketballs smack-
ing, the incessant calling of every
food order, first with "It's another
great day here at Discovery Zone!"
I had my three children with me,
plus a friend of Adina's. I
like to actually get in the
tubes and chase the chil-
dren, yet as they get older
mine prefer to be with their
friends more and more.
Talya, though, at 2, still
needs me close. So I sat
with her in the multicolored pool of
plastic balls as she jumped from a
blue cushion into the balls, then
laughed, then climbed up on the
cushion again and jumped off, then
laughed, and on and on for a
good 20 times.
As I sat watching Talya, a boy of
about 15 came near. He was car-
rying another boy, about 10. His
brother. The older child placed the
younger into the balls, and the boy
went crawling about. His head was
shaved, and I could see that he
had had several operations that
required cutting into his skull. I
could see, too, that his legs did not
work. I passed him in a wheelchair. ,
My initial reaction, as always at
such moments, is to cry. And so I left
for a moment, sitting on a nearby
bench as Talya continued jumping.
I was interested, though, to see
the way the boy's family interacted.
The older boy played with his dis-
abled brother, first in the plastic
balls, then at one of the slides.
Another brother also helped out. The
mother — a tall, attractive woman
with silver-rimmed glass — wheeled
her son over to the games, bought
him popcorn, lifted him on a ride.
It is a wonder to watch love with-
The Heatherwood gets you there. Through rain or
snow our courtesy van gets you where you need to go. Leave your
worries behind and leave the driving to us!
At Heatherwood, we offer a warm, wonderful atmosphere,
and provide all the services our residents need to remain as
' active in the community as they wish.
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etirement Community Offers:
I • Lunch available (7 days per week) - something the others don't offer
• Evening meal provided (7 days per week)
• On site staffing 24 hours a day
• Emergency pull cord in each apartment
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• Personal care assistance available through on-site health care staff
One & Two Bedroom Apartments Now Available!
For information, call Kathy Ostrowski: (248) 350-1777
22800 Civic Center Drive • Southfield, Nil
OUTDOOR ADVENTURES
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3/12
1999
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JIM= NEWS
'TN
■
out end. But, of course, that's what
a family is. I liked, and admired,
the way this family worked together.
One member needed help, and
everyone was there for him. Not
that they hovered over the boy, but I
could see that they made him feel
included, not a burden.
Perhaps this is the best lesson that
being part of a family teaches: how
to function as a whole. Indi-
vidual wishes and needs still
exist and deserve attention.
But suddenly, in becoming
a family, what is best for all
becomes the priority — not
what is best for one.
I love rituals that reinforce
this wholeness. In our fami-
ly, this means family dinners every
night, and outings like our trips to
feed the ducks at a nearby pond.
As a family member, you give up
a great deal of what once seemed
crucial when you were alone: the
right to go wherever you want
whenever you want to; the right to
spend your money however you
choose. Yet it can be lonely, too,
being alone; you can feel empty
and incomplete.
In becoming part of a family, sud-
denly so much becomes clear — and
in giving and working together, each
individual also becomes whole.
❑
Elizabeth Applebaum
AppleTree Editor
Elizabeth Applebaum welcomes your
comments at (248) 354-6060, ext.
308 (voice mail) or via e-mail: philap-
ple@earthlink.net. We would love to
consider for publication your observa-
tions on parenting and childhood.
Please send to: Guest Column, c/o
The AppleTree, 27676 Franklin Road,
Southfield, MI 48034.