Roots and Wings: Visiting with Grandchildren (Part 1 of 4)

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“A wise woman once said to me that there are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One of these is roots; the other, wings.”
– Hodding Carter

As parents and grandparents, one of the greatest joys in our lives is watching future generations thrive, grow and carry on traditions that have meaning for our families. It’s a desire to leave a legacy – whether emotionally, monetarily or otherwise – so that you will be remembered long after you have left this earth. It’s also a desire to see your loved ones have and take advantage of all the opportunities life has to offer.

“This idea of finding ways to pass on your beliefs and values while providing opportunities for your grandchildren are fundamental and universal,” says Andrea Campisi, Marketing and Admissions Director of The Reutlinger Community, a Continuing Care Retirement Community in Danville, CA. “Traditions help define who we are and link us to our past while providing a foundation for the future.”

We call this philosophy Roots and Wings. It’s the dual approach of building a sense of “home” and what it means to be “your family” alongside the forward-thinking, innovative freedom of a future full of possibilities. These are both gifts that will continue to nurture and strengthen future generations for years to come.

In this four-part series, we explore different ways for seniors to share roots and wings with their children, grandchildren and other loved ones. From passing on traditions to building a legacy to helping shape a stable future, there are many ways you can build meaningful moments that will echo far into the future.

Visiting Your Grandchildren: Making Meaningful Moments Happen

Most grandparents would say that building and maintaining strong relationships between them and their grandchildren is important. Spending time with grandchildren allows you to be a part of their lives and gives you the opportunity to share life skills, instill values and pass along stories and wisdom. Plus, it’s incredibly enjoyable to watch them as they grow, and there are many things you can learn from them, too!

Whether you live in the same town as your grandchildren or are half a world away, here are some ways to make the most of your time together and forge a special bond between you and the youngest members of your family.

Go outside.
Kids, especially when they’re younger, get a kick out of outdoor activities – no matter what the season! Building a snowman, splashing in the pool, jumping in a pile of leaves or picking spring flowers are all enjoyable things to do as the weather turns. Need some more ideas? Check out below:

  • Plant for the future. Growing flowers, vegetables or even a tree provide fun now and in the future. Discuss with your grandchild what you’d like to do and what your future plans for the plant are. Will you use the herbs to cook the next time you or they are in town? Will the tree you’ve planted be a perfect place for picnicking?
  • Start an outdoor hobby together. Do you or your grandchild enjoy birdwatching? Identifying leaves? Collecting bugs? Playing soccer? Finding an activity that you can do together (and when you’re apart) creates a great opportunity to make memories and give both of you something to look forward to the next time you’re together.
  • Enjoy outdoor events. Head to the farmers market or grab a lawn chair and watch fireworks. Cheer on a local sports team or walk to a nearby ice cream parlor. Whatever the season, find something that’s going on in a nearby town and make a day out of it!

Spend time indoors.
Reading books together, baking cookies, doing art projects … many of our most cherished memories happen indoors. Choose a favorite activity or look below for an idea starter:

  • Share family stories. Drag out the old family photo albums or show off slides from the family vacation you took with their parents when they were children. You and your grandchild could also write out your family history and create a family tree. With services like Ancestry.com and others, it’s easier than ever to research your history.
  • Teach each other a favorite activity. Maybe you want to learn how to play Fortnite and your grandchild wants to learn how to knit. Teach each other the things you love to do –it’s an instant bonding experience.
  • Learn a new activity together. Long-term projects can be an excellent way to share interests and carry on something for longer than an afternoon. Learn how to make dishes from different cultures, or start a blog about your time together.

Connect from afar.
Grandparents who live far away have options these days to bond and stay connected to their grandchildren. From low- to high-tech, the options for a quick hello or a meaningful heart to heart have made quality time from afar easier than ever.

  • Call, text or FaceTime them. Instilling the importance of a phone call is a great way to have a conversation with your grandchild. If possible, you can set a time every week to chat, even if for only a little bit. You can do the same thing with a Skype or FaceTime chat. If your grandchildren are old enough to have personal phones, don’t forget that a little text can have meaning, too.
  • Play online games together. Games like Words with Friends, Monopoly and more are online versions of classic board games that you can play together even when you’re miles apart.

Go old school with snail mail. Getting a handwritten letter or a package in the mail is a big deal these days. Show your grandchild how magical the mail can be by exchanging letters and care packages on a regular basis. Best of all, you may get a letter back!

Spending time with grandchildren is a very special way to get to know each other on a deeper level. By using your creativity, you and your grandchildren can spend quality time together and make a lifetime of memories.

For more information about our community, our culture and our mission and values, please contact us at 925-272-0261.

Premier Senior Living, Dedicated Care

Offering Assisted Living, Enhanced Assisted Living, Memory Care, Skilled Nursing and  Rehabilitation, The Reutlinger Community provides a continuum of care that allows seniors to live a life-enhancing and stimulating environment. Located in Danville, California, The Reutlinger Community’s newly renovated, 110,000 square foot community combines the comfort and familiarity of home with seasoned senior care and skilled nursing specialists to suit any seniors needs, allowing them to live the life they choose with freedom and security.

Because we specialize in a continuum of care, our residents never need to worry about leaving the community they call home or wonder what will happen when they need some more care. Residents and families alike can have peace of mind knowing that there are full-time licensed nurses available, along with activity coordinators, social workers, caregivers, a concierge and Rabbi who focus solely on helping each resident thrive. Even better, our services and amenities are equal to those of a state-of-the-art resort. This is the lifestyle and care that your loved one deserves.

At The Reutlinger, seniors have numerous opportunities to engage in award-winning programs that are designed to engage the mind, renew the spirit and provide opportunities to meet new people and learn something new. Whether residents are enjoying our art program and museum, listening to a lecture or educational program or attending spiritual programming and our wide range of activities, there’s something for each resident to love. Participate as much or as little as you like, the choice is all yours.

For more information or to schedule a personal tour, contact us today.

The Reutlinger Community: An Extension of Your Home Now and Forever

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At The Reutlinger, we were specially designed and built for living. Newly renovated and offering a true continuum of care, we are a community that not only looks and feels like home, but can truly be home for all of seniors’ different care needs. Whether they need Assisted Living, Memory Care or Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation, they never need to worry about making a move from the community that provides them with the engaging lifestyle, beloved traditions and dedicated care they deserve.

According to Andrea Campisi, Marketing Director at The Reutlinger Community, an Assisted Living, Enhanced Assisted Living, Memory Care, Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation community in Danville, CA, The Reutlinger has been serving seniors throughout the area for over 60 years. “Recent renovations have been completed to provide better service, comfort, care and connection for our residents,” says Andrea. “This allows for an engaging lifestyle where up to 180 residents can thrive. Even better, our dedicated and seasoned specialists can now provide even more of the care that our residents deserve.”

At The Reutlinger, we believe it’s a combination of our programming, heritage and care that creates the lifestyle seniors deserve. Here, our residents can be at home and feel at home, enjoying the services they need.

The Dedicated Care You Deserve

No matter what care needs your loved one may have, The Reutlinger can always be home. Here, we provide an array of care options that can fit a range of needs, including:

 

  • Assisted Living. Residents in our Assisted Living program benefit from services and amenities that help them life worry-free lives. From chef-prepared meals, scheduled transportation and assistance when needed to weekly housekeeping, laundry and engaging programming, residents can enjoy each day.

 

  • Memory Care. We have been designed to take care of various Memory Care needs, no matter what level your loved one may be at. For those requiring minimal Memory Care to more advanced, our range of capabilities can help residents live their best lives. We even provide sensory-based therapies and programming adapted to meet the changing needs of residents with Memory Care needs.

 

  • Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation. To end our continuum of care, we also offer Skilled Nursing, allowing the peace of mind of knowing you’ll never need to make a move because The Reutlinger has you covered. With personal assistance, support from an expert team of professionals and an array of on-site services, our residents and families can enjoy everything The Reutlinger has to offer with complete peace of mind.

The Engaging Lifestyle You Desire

Residents of The Reutlinger enjoy a range of activities and programs designed to enhance and enrich their lives. These offerings allow them to connect and engage with others, find purpose and meaning and feel at home right where they are.

 

  • Art classes. Taught by our artist-in-residence, Betty Rothaus, our residents can enjoy learning how to paint or simply watch. This program gives resident artists multiple opportunities to explore art therapeutically, or just enjoy a calming creative outlet right in their own home.

 

  • Scheduled transportation. We worry about taking your loved one places so you don’t have to. We provide transportation each day to doctor’s appointments, nearby shopping, special events and more.

The Traditions You Love

At The Reutlinger, not only do we treat your family like our family but their traditions are upheld. We cherish the Jewish lifestyle and its beliefs, and believe that their values should be honored. As the area’s only Jewish community, residents of The Reutlinger can enjoy:

 

  • Rabbi on site. Rabbi Debora Kohn holds weekly Shabbat and holiday services, conducts spiritual and religious programming, provides guidance and ensures the spiritual needs of residents are met.  

 

  • Kosher kitchen. The Reutlinger provides kosher meals to fit the needs of our Jewish residents. With the area’s only kosher kitchen, our residents enjoy three restaurant-style meals plus snacks and beverages.

 

  • Jewish Heritage Museum. Residents and their families can find our Jewish Heritage Museum on site. Our museum features Jewish artifacts that have been donated. This is open for residents, families, staff and visitors to enjoy.

To learn more about The Reutlinger, or to experience it for yourself, contact us today. We would be happy to take you on a tour, have you attend an art class or meet with our rabbi.

Premier Senior Living, Dedicated Care

Offering assisted living, enhanced assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing and

rehabilitation, The Reutlinger provides a continuum of care that allows seniors to live a life-enhancing and stimulating environment. Located in Danville, California, The Reutlinger’s newly renovated 110,000 square foot community combines the comfort and familiarity of home with seasoned senior care and skilled nursing specialists to suit any seniors needs, allowing them to live the life they choose with freedom and security.

Because we specialize in a continuum of care, our residents never need to worry about leaving the community they call home or wonder what will happen when they need some more care. Residents and families alike can have peace of mind knowing that there are full-time licensed nurses available along with activity coordinators, social workers, caregivers, a concierge and rabbi who focus solely on helping each resident thrive. Even better, our services and amenities are equal to those of a state-of-the-art resort. This is the lifestyle and care that your loved one deserves.

At The Reutlinger, seniors have numerous opportunities to engage in award-winning programs that are designed to engage the mind, renew the spirit and provide opportunities to meet new people and learn something new. Whether residents are enjoying our art program and museum, listening to a lecture or educational program or attending spiritual programming and our wide range of activities, there’s something for each resident to love. Participate as much or as little as you like, the choice is all yours.

For more information or to schedule a personal tour, contact us today.

Dementia: One Daughter’s Story

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Finding out that your mother is suffering from dementia is devastating news. It unleashes a deluge of emotions ranging from anger to sadness. For daughters, there is often the added burden of making what seems to be an endless number of decisions for mom, including perhaps the most overwhelming one: determining where she will live.

 

Often families will consider caring for mom at home, then quickly realize (like I did) that as time goes on and symptoms worsen, taking on the responsibility of full-time care is a nearly impossible task.  Quite simply, caring for a loved one with dementia becomes a 24-hour-a-day, seven days a week challenge.

 

In my experience, finding a facility that specialized in the care and housing of individuals with dementia was the best decision not only for me, but also for my mom. Knowing that caring and qualified staff members were attending to her needs around the clock lifted a very real burden.  Perhaps most importantly, it allowed my family and me to visit often and truly enjoy the time we had with mom, even when she no longer recognized any of us.

 

For mom, her new home provided not only physical care, but also an environment with consistency, routine, and structure that weren’t possible at home.  I will always look back on those last few years with mom filled by gratitude, for the blessing of a residential facility with expert memory care.

 

For more information on dementia, and to speak with someone who can help with decisions regarding care, call Andrea Campisi, Director of Marketing and Admissions, The Reutlinger Community. We are happy to answer your questions.  (925) 964-2062.

Spring Awakens the Body and Mind – Keys to Successful Aging

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According to one expert on aging, “If exercise could be put in a pill, it would be the number one anti-aging medicine and the number one anti-depression medicine.” Yes, exercise is essential at any age, but for the elderly, activity and movement is more important than ever.

A physical activity program geared to a senior’s individual ability can improve strength, energy, and appetite. It also benefits cognitive abilities as well as providing a boost to mood and memory.

Gentle exercise programs, such as stretching are especially suited for seniors. These exercises improve balance, range of motion, and coordination. The slow, fluid movements of exercise similar to Tai Chi provide a sense of peace and relaxation while strengthening muscle control and balance.

Even seniors who use a wheelchair or who have limited mobility can exercise. Stretching exercises can be done while in a chair, and the use of light hand weights can improve cardiovascular health and muscle tone. Water exercise is excellent for the elderly.

For the more active senior, group activities such as line dancing and low-impact aerobics classes couple a higher level of exercise with the inspiration of a social setting.

A senior living community such as The Reutlinger, that offers multiple levels of care, is perfect in being able to tailor exercise opportunities to a wide-range of residents.

The stimulation of our mind is also of great importance as we age. We want to be sure that we keep learning, stay interested in life, and create.

Listen to music. Music is a language that can express the inexpressible. The emotional and spiritual effects of music can be profound. Happy music can lift us up, and calm music can relax us.

Paint. Spring is a time when nature begins to reveal new colors. So why not work with some colors of your own. Take some time to paint something you find beautiful be it a landscape, a still life or the people around you.

Meditate or pray. Meditation and prayer can have a powerful effect on a person’s spirit whether they are looking to simply appreciate life more or connect to something greater. Psychologists say that meditation and prayer reduce the stress of daily life, helps a person’s sense of self-control and even makes them more pleasant to be around.

At The Reutlinger Community, our residents find comfort from our onsite spiritual leader, self-expression in our Discovering the Artist Within program, joy through music therapy, and lovely grounds to awaken their senses. For more information call Andrea Campisi, Director of Admissions and Marketing at (925) 964-2062.

Stroke Recovery for Seniors

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by Andrea Campisi, The Reutlinger Community

 

With heart disease being the leading cause of death for men and women, the observance of American Heart Month each February helps raise awareness of ways to recover from a heart attack and stroke that can lead to a lifetime of heart health. According to the American Heart Association, stroke is a leading cause of serious long-term disability and reduces mobility in more than half of stroke survivors age 65 and over.

After a heart attack or stroke, a short-term rehabilitation stay at a skilled nursing facility can provide the sustained and coordinated effort to optimize recovery, including intensive monitoring and recuperation. It’s often said that it takes a village to rehabilitate a stroke patient, one that extends far beyond patient and physician, family and friends. From physical, speech, occupational and other therapists to health aides, psychologists, nurses, nutritionists and social workers, a diverse team is essential in stroke rehabilitation. Communication and coordination among these team members is essential to promote optimum health and renewal.

At Reutlinger, we believe the key to success is not just the amount of rehabilitative therapy, but the focus of rehabilitation that makes all the difference. With our dedicated team of medical clinicians working together, we focus on restoring and maintaining independence by assisting with mobility, strength and improvement of a patient’s ability to navigate daily life. This ensures the patients smooth, positive transition from hospital to skilled nursing/rehabilitation to home.

The support of family members can be critical to effective rehabilitation, so we encourage family involvement, especially since it is often difficult to communicate with patients with cognitive or speech challenges.

Recovering from a stroke is among life’s most challenging experiences because the demands are physical, mental and emotional. For most patients, recovery from stroke takes six months to one year of focused, intensive rehabilitative therapy. The earlier a patient can begin to engage in rehabilitation, the higher the odds of a full recovery.

For more information contact Andrea Campisi, Director of Marketing, The Reutlinger Community (924) 964-2062.

 

Supporting Seniors in Chronic Pain

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The Reutlinger Community: Carla Adamic

By Carla Adamic, The Reutlinger Community

 

Half of all seniors in the United States suffer from some form of chronic pain. Despite this staggering statistic, that pain often goes untreated. The first step to getting treatment is, of course, reporting it, but there are often barriers that prevent that from happening. Many seniors live on fixed incomes and are afraid to report chronic pain out of fear that it will lead to expensive medications and treatments. Other seniors are suffering from conditions that make communicating their pain difficult like memory or hearing loss. Despite these obstacles, chronic pain is often easily and inexpensively treatable. It’s important for seniors to report chronic pain to their physicians and loved ones.

Signs of Chronic Pain

Signs that a senior (or anyone) is in pain and might not be willing or able to tell you include:

 

  • Tightly closed eyes
  • Grimacing
  • Lowered levels of activity
  • Decreased appetite
  • Insomnia or troubled sleep
  • Rigid movement
  • Clenched fists
  • Groaning when moved
  • Inexplicable Tears

 

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If you see any of these symptoms, it’s important to encourage seniors to explain what is going on. Pain that goes unreported and untreated can have significant consequence including depression and anxiety.

Managing chronic pain can be handled in a variety of ways:

  • See a doctor who is certified in board certified pain management.
  • Look into interventional therapy programs that could help you manage the underlying cause of the chronic pain. For example, certain exercises can help reduce back pain.
  • Walking, yoga and meditation can help.
  • Dialog with other people who have experienced the same pain and ask how they’ve managed it. Support groups can help.
  • Believe it or not, simple love and care can help someone feel better. Isolation can make pain feel worse.

 

 

At the Reutlinger Community, we work with residents to make sure that they don’t suffer in silence. Part of that is simply having a knowledgeable and personable staff that knows each resident well enough to be able to talk with them about how they are feeling and to recognize signs of chronic pain when they are reticent.

To learn more about how we manage pain, visit us at rcjl.org or call us at 925-648-2800.

 

Keeping Our Communities Current: How Modern Technology Can Improve Assisted Living

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The Reutlinger Community: Carla Adamic

By Carla Adamic, The Reutlinger Community

 

Despite easily available evidence to the contrary, there is a persistent myth in our culture that seniors don’t do technology. The reality is that a majority of people over sixty-five have cell phones, use the internet, and use at least some form of social media. Seniors aren’t merely more tech savvy than people assume, they actively want the technology in their homes to be current. It’s important for senior living communities to keep their capabilities up to date and incorporate the latest technologies into their design.

 

Computer Access

Computer and technology centers are becoming more and more essential parts of senior living communities. Computers provide a way for seniors to keep in touch with their loved ones, catch up on news, work on personal projects, manage their finances and more.

 

Wi-Fi

Wireless internet has gone from a luxury to a necessity. While having access to a desktop or laptop computer allows for more in-depth interactions, more and more people are accessing the internet through cell phones and tablet computers. Indeed, the simple interfaces and easy portability of these devices often make them the preferred devices by many seniors who don’t need or want the complexity of a desktop PC.

 

Instruction

For many seniors the reason they avoid technology isn’t because they aren’t interested, but because they need patient instruction. At the Reutlinger Community, we have volunteers and speakers who help seniors learn instead of mocking their lack of prior knowledge.

 

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There are numerous benefits to giving seniors access to modern technology.

 

Connection

Some seniors live hundreds, even thousands of miles away from their families who live in different time zones and can’t readily interact in real time. E-mail and social media make it quick and easy to communicate whether it be about the latest 49ers game, holidays, family events or even just the weather. Programs like Skype and Facetime allow face to face communication across the country and even the world. Engagement is often said to be as important to graceful aging as keeping your body healthy.

 

Mental and Physical Health

There are numerous video games that provide both physical and mental benefits. The Nintendo Wii console, for example, offers simulated sports activities like tennis, bowling and golf which allow for physical exertion in a fun and safe environment at home or with friends. Other games help with hand-eye coordination, spatial recognition, fact recall, memory and more. Even better, many games can be played online with family and friends, stacking social benefits on top of mental and physical benefits.

 

Medication Management

While at the Reutlinger Community, we are able to take a hands-on approach to medication management, many seniors must manage on their own. There are numerous apps that can help seniors (and anyone else) track their medication use to prevent over or under-dosing. Learning how to use these apps can have a significant impact on a senior’s overall health.

 

Emergency Response

Many seniors have access to a PERS or a Personal Emergency Response System that allows them to summon medical help with the touch of a button. Other useful emergency technologies include GPS devices or global positioning systems that help seniors locate where they are and get directions to where they are going. These GPS systems can be linked to alert systems so that caregivers can easily find seniors when they need our help.

 

To learn more about how technology helps seniors and how we handle it in an assisted living environment, please visit our website at rcjl.org or call us at 925-648-2800.

Caring for an Aging Parent

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Carla Adamic Outside

We all learn fairly early in life that there will come a time where we will have to care for our parents just as they cared for us when we were children. And while we might understand this on an intellectual level, the actual reality of making such important decisions can actually be much more challenging that we thought possible.

For one thing, there is the emotional struggle to accept that the people on whom we most relied during one of the most vulnerable parts of our lives are now relying on us during theirs. Compounding the issue is the fact that they, too, are not prepared for the shift. If anything, it’s harder. Our parents are used to being the caregivers and the advisers. Transitioning out of the life they are used to, homes they may have lived in for forty years or more, careers that defined their adult lives, can be a slow, often tumultuous process.

Our most important advice is to learn patience: patience with yourself and with each other. Patience is like a muscle, if you give it exercise, it becomes stronger.  Listening is crucial here. Decisions you make here can be painful and you can’t force someone into something they are not ready for and hope to keep your relationship healthy. You can’t look for quick solutions either; the right solution will change over time as your parents’ health changes.

Another factor to consider is the decision making process. Everyone is fallible. The shift to a position of comparative strength in a relationship now doesn’t mean that you suddenly have all the answers. Yes, sometimes you will be right. But, sometimes your parents will be right. And sometimes you will both be wrong and will need to learn the right answers together.

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That means not being afraid to seek outside help. Both of you are new at this. Some people spend their entire careers working on these issues. Don’t be too proud to get advice.

Finally, if the decision is made for your parents to move to a new place, make sure that it’s one you will be able and willing to visit. Their biggest fear will be that you will put them away and forget about them as you go on with your life. You owe your parents a lot, everything when you really think about it. Don’t make these decisions without taking your own accessibility into account.

If you have questions or concerns about caring for your aging parents, you can contact us at our website at rcjl.org or call us at 925.648.2800.

 

Legacy Projects Benefit Young and Old

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 Carla Adamic Outside

A legacy project is a way that we can record our stories for future generations. It’s one way we can transfer our voice into the future for our children, our grandchildren and our grandchildren’s grandchildren to hear. As we record our memories we better remember our lives and our connections.

 

It’s also a way we can remind ourselves of our own story, even through the cloud of fragmented memory that might occur as we age. As our memory becomes impaired, giving background knowledge on ourselves to those who are caring for us will be of great benefit. If you move into a senior living community, one that is truly caring and concerned about your total well-being, will ask detailed questions about your likes, interests, family history, birthdays, important occurrences, former pets and more. With this knowledge, they will be able to help us remember, they will help trigger our memory, as we age. We will not feel lost.

 

Not everyone shares their stories in the same way. We all have our own unique voices and our own talents. For some of us, our stories are told through generations of family recipes. For others, they’re told through photographs and scrapbooks. Still for others, it’s through keepsakes and family trees. These stories are our legacies, they’re how we connect our past with our family’s futures, and they’re how we demonstrate that we are a key chapter in the never-ending story of our families and communities.

 

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LEGACY PROJECT IDEAS

 

Write A Memoir

While it might be the most obvious way to create a legacy story, writing a memoir can also be one of the most thorough and satisfying. What better way to tell a story than to write it down? You don’t have to begin at the beginning if you don’t want to. Just write what you feel like talking about as it comes to you. You can sort things out as you go. Share your stories as you write them. Who knows? Maybe writing and talking about your past will help you remember some wonderful memories you may have forgotten?

 

Create A Time Capsule

Sometimes our stories are best told through our possessions. Like the Velveteen Rabbit, the things we love become real in ways that other objects simply don’t. The meaning we attach to objects, be they a signed baseball, a family quilt, candlesticks or things that we can’t even begin to guess about. After all, these are objects of meaning to you. We can’t live your life for you, only you know what’s really important. Leave a note with the Time Capsule about when it’s to be opened. Explain what you’ve included and why. Future generations of your family will be more whole for your efforts.

 

Create a Recipe Book

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Many families have passed down recipe books through generations, with each generation expanding the repertoire of the next. Through recipes we create the kind of memories people don’t usually expect to be able to pass down. Through food our descendants can taste what we taste and can be sustained and nourished both literally and figuratively by those who came before us.

 

Make a Video or Audio Documentary

Some of us write, others record. We have more tools than ever to record our stories these days. Anyone and everyone can purchase recording equipment relatively inexpensively. Whether you want to take videos of yourself and places of importance for you or if you simply want to tell your story in your own voice for others to hear, it’s easier than ever to become a documentarian.

 

Create Art

Many of our residents at The Reutlinger choose to take part in our award-winning art program. Through art our emotions and lives can be expressed visually in a way that is distinct from photographs. A great artist can transfer a part of their soul into a sculpture or onto a canvas. Things of beauty are utterly unique to the creator and can provide warmth and illumination to the homes of their descendants.

 

For more ideas on legacy projects or to learn about our art program, please contact us at www.rcjl.org or call us at 925.648.2800.

 

5 Reasons to Celebrate Dad

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Carla Adamic Outside

Fathers play an important role in every child’s life. As we grow older it might become harder to remember all the big and little things that our fathers did for us. This Father’s Day, we’d like to think of just a few reasons we’re happy to have our fathers in our lives.

1. They Teach Us How to Win and How To Lose

Sometimes everything seems to be going right for us and sometimes the world seems to be collapsing around our ears. Since we were kids up through adulthood, dads have taught us how to be gracious and humble when we win and how to pick ourselves up and try again when we lose.  In good times and bad, our dads’ examples showed us the way.

2. They Keep Us Safe

When you have kids of your own you start to appreciate just how small, fragile and helpless we once were. Our fathers made sure that we were clean, healthy and safe from all the dangers of the world around us. They taught us when it was safe to cross the street, how to not burn ourselves at a campfire, and who we could and couldn’t trust. And as we grew up and moved on to places where our dads could no longer protect us, we were safe because they taught us how to protect ourselves.

3. They Inspire Us

When our dads look at us, they see all the potential in the world. When we feel like we’ve gone nowhere, they remind us how far we’ve come because they’ve been there from the beginning and are telling us the truth. When we think we can’t succeed, they know exactly how to push us so that we give our best effort anyway. No matter how hard our life gets, we know that we will always have our dads in our corner to cheer us on and give us advice.  It’s their faith in us that taught us how to have faith in ourselves.

human-854005_6404. They Teach Us How To Have Fun

Whatever our dads looked like to people outside of our homes, inside they were quick to play games, sing silly songs and keep smiles on our faces. They played sports with us, took us travelling, read us stories and helped us learn how to enjoy ourselves. We found the secret joys in life because our dads taught us where to look.

5. They Taught Us How To Do Our Part

Our fathers taught us that we can’t do everything alone. They taught us that sometimes we need someone else to rely on and that sometimes other people might need to rely on us. They taught us that there were at least two people in every relationship, and that every relationship worth having had a give and a take. Our dads gave us a lot. So much that it’s only right to give back to them at least one day every year.

If you are looking for a way to give back to your dad (or mom) but think you could use a little bit of help from a community of skilled and caring professionals, you can visit us at rcjl.org or call us at 925.648.2800 to learn more.