Beauty for Ashes
As our Ojai writer, former patient, Cody MacLean, who is now in an L.A. nursing home, said in his "Grandpa Cody's Bedtime Stories," Fluffy Tail and Pretty Eyes", the Ojai squirrels, are having fun once again in the oak trees, after the terrible Saint Thomas Fire in December. Six months later, the squirrels and birds are playing, the grass is growing back from the ashes of the fire and the blacked trees, and the patients of the Ojai nursing home are flourishing after their mandatory evacuation to Los Angeles, their re-admission to their Ojai Home, and their celebrating Memorial Day week in Ojai. "Beauty for ashes" is their theme, from Isaiah 61:3a.
On Friday night, June 1, 2018, we presented another sweet program for the patients, families, staff, pets, and volunteers at the Ojai Nursing home, with Trombone Dean playing their favorites from Movies, "Oklahoma," "Grease" "Sound of Music" "Willy Wonka" "My Fair Lady" and Patriotic songs for our Navy Veteran from Korea.
The peace and love were everywhere Friday night...inside the Home, in the patios, in the nurse's stations, in the patient's rooms, on Montgomery Street, and as Dean Adams visited the patient's rooms after his concert, and played the solo song on his trombone for the bed-bound patients "Somewhere Over The Rainbow," the gentle breezes coming in the patient's rooms, instead of the smoke from the fires 6 months earlier, was powerful. Trombone Dean's horn brings healing to all, the bed-bound as well as those still walking and those in wheelchairs. As his concert ended, no one wanted to leave. There was love.
The sun eventually set, the stars came out, and the moon was beautiful Friday night. The holy Ojai Valley is recovering from the devastating fire, spiritually, emotionally, and physically. After the applause, and finishing up their strawberry shortcakes, we promised that we would all return again next month, for our 4th of July Evening Concert on July 6, 2018 at 6:30pm, to have a program of patriotic music and Marie Calendar's sugar free berry pie ala mode, with sugar free ice cream. Healthy. We even had organic strawberries from our own Strawberry Fields Friday night. We know it is hard getting around for our diabetics.
As we volunteers said "Good night, we love you, and we'll be back before you know it," it was all good.
留言