Bringing smiles to seniors, one flower at a time

Do you ever hear a little voice inside your head?  You know, the one that puts thoughts and ideas in your mind?  Have you ever acted upon one of these suggestions and seen the results? A couple of years ago while I was driving down Main Street in Zionsville, I heard this voice inside my head.  I was driving along, singing to the radio and minding my own business when I heard this voice interrupt my thoughts.  I dismissed it and kept traveling down the road just going along with life.  

Another day, while traveling down the road I heard it again. This time I sort of listened, but wondered what is was asking of me. I thought that this voice had the wrong person. But in my mind I kept hearing this voice tell me what I was supposed to do.  The more I tried to ignore it, the stronger the voice became.  I kept thinking to myself, “Please don’t ask me to do this.”

The question the voice was asking: “What do you think Nana’s (a local flower shop) does with the flowers they can’t sell?”  

I had never thought about what florists do with the leftover flowers.  So one Saturday my mother-in-law and I went in and asked.  They said the staff would take home the flowers they couldn’t sell. I asked if they would be willing to donate them to our local nursing home. Right away they said yes -- and I didn’t even have to beg!  

I began picking up the extra flowers once a week and delivered them to the residents at Zionsville Meadows, a long-term care facility. When I gave the residents the flowers, their faces lit up with beautiful smiles. I was able to communicate with them in a way that was new and exciting to me.  

As the weeks went on, my daughter began helping me. Then a friend and her children joined us. The older adults loved seeing the kids and their spirits were truly uplifted by the flowers and the companionship. These seniors were becoming my friends. I looked forward to seeing them as much as they wanted to see me.  Many of them have no one who visits with them so they always looked forward to and enjoyed our visits.  Truthfully, I think I received more out of it then they did.  

Looking back, listening to that voice and responding to it changed my life for the better.  It gave me the realization that our elders need help in many ways, both big and small.  Since I’m no longer able to deliver flowers to the nursing home, I recruited other members from my church to take on the task. They truly love being able to brighten the days of these older adults as well.  

So the next time you hear that voice in your head, take a moment to consider what is being asked of you.  Who knows, you just might make a difference in someone else’s life.  And you just might make a difference in you own life too.

Katrina Kappel 

Katrina, on the left in the picture above, is a graduate assistant at the University of Indianapolis Center for Aging & Community, as well as a student in CAC's aging studies program.