The holidays are upon us once again, starting with Thanksgiving. This fine American celebration has interesting roots here in Virginia going back 400 years to the settlement of Jamestown. There, our country’s earliest settlers experienced an extremely harsh winter in 1609-1610. When food supply ships finally arrived at the colony, the settlers celebrated Thanksgiving prayer services.
Fast-forward 11 years, and the Pilgrims in Plymouth Colony celebrated the fall harvest with a major feast that has become known as the first official Thanksgiving. Because Brandermill Wood is located in Central Virginia, we of course like to think of our Commonwealth as hosting the first Thanksgiving. Regardless, we love this holiday for its celebration of friendship, food, and gratitude. We have much to be thankful for—and our residents top our list. Every day, they bring a smile to the face of every team member.
What Our Residents Say
Our job is to create a foster an active community, but it’s our residents who make the community what it is. Here’s what some of our residents have to say about living at Brandermill Woods:
“I have lived here 13 years and I like that it feels like home. I love the feeling of family from residents and staff alike,” — J. Ellerbe
“I am thankful for the wonderful staff,” — J. Pirkle
“I am grateful for Jess and all of the wonderful activities planned by the Activities Team.” — Barbara Campbell
“It’s like being in summer camp, for older people, all the time.” — Pat Dunlap
“Brandermill Woods is a special place – not always perfect but always wonderful. I remind myself each day of how fortunate I am to live in this kind and caring place.” — Nancy Strite
A Special Poem
What moved us the most—and what fills us with gratitude—is this special poem recently composed by resident Shirley Bare:
Why I Like Living at Brandermill Woods
Brandermill Woods is a happy place
People around that you meet face to face
A smile and a greeting and rarely a frown
Even though we all have our ups and our downs
No reason to feel lonely, there’s plenty to do
Just sign up in the blue book for what suits you
You can exercise till you are tired and weary
But you really can’t say it’s ever dreary
Just think of the adjustments you have made in this life
The sadness, the happiness, the worry and strife
And think of your age, it’s time to relax and feel safe
And this is the place to feel safe and have faith
You can always find things that seem to be wrong but you can still have fun
It’s the big things that count and there’s plenty for every one
Someone to clean, someone to cook, someone to plan and give you a book
Take you to church, take you to shop
Just think about all the things that we’ve got
So thank you, Brandermill Woods, for a wonderful place to grow older
It’s not perfect but no one should be crying on anyone’s shoulder
Just feel like we can manage to be here
Be grateful we’re taken care of and have another beer!
We’ll take that advice to heart and say cheers!
