Flowers for "the least of these."

 

Moira Place Residents

And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me...

                                                              Matthew 25:40

Yesterday I lamented the grim reality of callously allowing our elders to suffer in heat waves and the pandemic, often resulting in death. As something of an antidote I'll mention the story on CBC Radio's The Current yesterday about a collaboration between Dahlia May Flower Farm, a Tweed school,  and a Tweed Nursing Home. The owner of Dahlia May, Melanie Harrington,  is committed to sharing flowers with seniors, in part because she practically grew up in long-term care settings because of her mother's lengthy illness and eventual death. The school kids began a fundraising project to provide bouquets of flowers for the nearby residents of Moira Place. 

I've visited in Moira Place which is a lovely, well-run facility on spacious grounds. But during the pandemic the residents were isolated for long periods for their safety. It was a successful strategy in terms of keeping COVID at bay, but hard on those who were separated from loved ones.

The CBC story was moving and uplifting. The Grad 8 students were part of the delivery of flowers this past week and some spoke of their sense of satisfaction from being involved in this initiative. Residents expressed their appreciation and how much it meant to them to be remembered. 

Melanie Harrington

 Melanie describes this project as a good news story, and I would say that it is a Good News story, reflecting gospel values of compassion and respect across generations. Of course I have no idea what religious sentiments any of the participants hold, but they are caring for "the least of these.". 

The principal of the school was on hand as well and suggested that this may become an annual graduation project for the Grade 8's. We purchase beautiful plants and flowers from Dahlia May including, yes, dahlias, and we'll certainly continue to support them. 

https://www.dahliamayflowerfarm.com/