President's Letter

We made it !!! Through Christmas that is. Every year I have mixed emotions about this holiday season. On one hand I think of much of it as fun, warm and cozy and on the other I try and see, with out any luck, what I can cut out of my regular schedule so I can fit in all of the extras which come with the territory ! Some how I seem to finish "on time" but just barely. This year the highlight for me and I’m sure most of you was just getting together for good conversations and some laughs over a glass of wine and delicious food, all the while making flower arrangements which brighten the lives of people we will never know. I had the pleasure, for the first time, of delivering some of those arrangements to two Nursing Homes on our list. I was not prepared for the warm and grateful reception I received. In one home there was a pretty lady in a wheel chair who had been parked by the entrance. I had to make several trips in with the long boxes. She was unresponsive when I walked by her, initially empty handed; I just wanted to find out where they were to be placed. Not so on my subsequent trips. When I passed her with the first load she came alive, “oh, a surprise” she said, flashing a big smile. The second trip had her almost out of her chair, “I’m so excited” she said. On the third and last trip she said, smiling, “more? this really is a party!” Just that one reaction made it all worth while and made me proud of you all and proud to be a part of this wonderful club. I was able to see the arrangements placed on the tables in the dining room of The Hamden Health Center and I can assure you that they transformed the look of that room and I know helped many of the residents feel as though they were really “having a party.” Continued warm and cozy feelings to all of you in the coming new year. Love, Betsy