13 December

Merry Christmas From The Mansion Staff

by Jon Katz

I know I am supposed to be on a three-day retreat from the blog, but the Mansion staffed asked me at the Mansion Christmas Party tonight, if I could consider taking picture of the staff gathered around the Christmas Tree.

I can’t say no to that, and I know many of them are waiting to go home and see it on the blog tonight, my retreat will resume after this picture. Maria predicted this would happen.

I can’t complain about it, I have come to love and know many of these people, and they rarely ask anything of themselves. They are givers, they are not takers.

I asked them if they would like a print of this image, and they all said yes. That will cost a couple of hundred dollars at least to have it done well.

But it’s worth it, they have so much connection with one another, and there are hardly any photos of them all together. I love the smiles on their faces. When I take a group photo like this, I always yell “look at my bald spot, and take my hat off.

This time we even got the kitchen staff to come in and join the group.

I don’t know why, but this always cracks everyone up, and the photo is full of smiles. I’m going to try to get the prints before Christmas, it might be tight.

Maybe I’m fussy, but I don’t love the quality of the online printing outfits, I’ve been disappointed in the quality of the work. I’m going with the Image Loft in Manchester, Vt.

This night was important to me, the residents gave me a gift of all the poems we have worked on this year together, bound in a small book. I’ll  post a picture and write about the book after my retreat ends sometime this weekend.

It’s curious, I have felt myself an outsider all of my life, and am rarely, if ever, comfortable around groups. I feel completely at home at the Mansion, in so many ways, they are the family I never had.

I did get a good jump on my book today, this time the blog really will be silent for a couple of days

__ Please consider supporting the Mansion Fund, drained by the holiday gifts, Amazon gift cards, cookies and presents. You can help via Paypal, [email protected], or by mail: Jon Katz, The Mansion/Refugee Fund, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816. You can also donate in any amount via Paypal or major credit cards by clicking on the Support The Army Of Good button.

And happy holidays from the Mansion staff.

It’s at the bottom of every blog post.

I thank you.

2 Comments

  1. If and when the time comes that I need to live in a facility, I hope it will be like the Mansion, where the residents are treated like people, not patients. I’ve seen so many care homes that seem to adopt the “potted plant philosophy”, meaning the residents are fed, watered and periodically turned toward the light. A bit of an extreme comparison, perhaps, but the general trend seems to be that residents are “cared for” rather than “cared about”. The staff at the Mansion are proof that better places do exist. I hope I can find one.

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