We normally spend the night painting with some kind of medium at Gabriel House of Care. This week we couldn't resist getting a bit sticky as we took to Christmas crafts. One of the residents, Paula, had treated us to some holiday glass baubles to decorate and I brought some well used novels to upcycle into some holiday stars. Everyone always adds their personality to their creations and this week was no different. The results were great.
These nights are very special to me. I am as thrilled by the complete silence as the residents concentrate in putting everything into making something they are really proud to keep as I am by the noisy chatter and laughter as we act a bit silly and share our stories. This week we even had some impromptu readings from the novel pages we were using to make our stars. A few racy paragraphs generated much laughter. This is the real benefit of the class.
The residents are either organ transplant and cancer patients or their carers staying at Gabriel House of Care while they undergo treatment. It is a community of healing which provides lots of opportunities to residents to support them on their journey. Gabriel House of Care enjoys a team of dedicated employees and volunteers and this week we got our jingle on.