Peggie and I had one last dance on the Lac du Saint Sacrement Wednesday, she said she did not ever want to leave the boat. I told her we would get back there one day. And we will. Thanks again to the Army of Good for making this possible for the Mansion residents, one of them told me “this is something even I won’t forget.” Me too.
There were all kinds of joyous photos to take on the boat ride, but the quiet moments seemed to capture my imagination. Jean was lost in another world of memory when she stood out by the rail. She didn’t dance or explore the boat, she loved looking out at the water and swimming in memory.
The Mansion residents have a lot of life to look back on, and moments like this are joyful, but also remind them of happier times, when their lives were fuller, and in many ways, richer. They have lost many friends and loved ones and they need to process that as well.
I think standing alone on the rails of a steamship can do that.
Bonnie, a Mansion staffer, tore up the dance floor and won a prize from the dee jay on duty. Peggie, who tires easily, joined in with her, dancing until she turned pale and everyone said enough was enough. She wanted to go much further. The faces of the residents really got to me, there was so much joy in them.
Their lives at the Mansion are by no means miserable, but they are often disconnected from the outside world, and I see how healthy and important it is for them to get out and explore the world around them. The next trip I’m plotting is a ride to the top of Mount Equinox, with some stops for cider and autumn leaf loving near Manchester, Vt.
Everyone seemed to like the idea. The boat ride has really got me excited about planning more trips, assuming the staff approves.
It was valuable and meaningful to see the residents in a different environment. Robert is at a crossroads in life, a gentle, thoughtful man, he was a builder in his former life, he pointed to one or two buildings around Lake George that he had worked on. He came to the Mansion to be with his wife Shirley, who is now in a nursing home. He has some issues of his own to deal with.
I found him deep in thought by the side of the boat, and I could see that this was time he needed to gather himself. He asked me to pose with him for a photograph, which was meaningful for me. We have gotten to know one another lately and I have gotten some books for him – he loves National Geographic and books on cars and trucks.
I asked him if I could get him any books, he has more time on his hands right now, and he said he was interested in the St. Lawrence Seaway, and I found several books for him on the Seaway. I could see by the way he studied the water and the boat that this interested him.
We stood together by the side of the boat for awhile, and then he asked if we could pose together. I was humbled by that, the boat ride turned out to be a wonderful thing, so filled with joy and connection. I’m putting up a bunch of photos on Facebook as an album.
Joan is one of my favorite portrait subjects. Today, talking with Morgan, the Mansion Case Manager, we agreed to think about a portrait book of Mansion residences, those beautiful faces lined with character. Joan has severe memory issues, but she surely remembered joy and dancing today.
She danced with people she knew and people she didn’t she danced with joy and abandon. If dogs are healing music is as or more so, it had the most dramatic effect on the residents.
