I have been at the American Senior Center, a nursing home in Indianapolis, for two Writing for Wellness sessions now. The seniors in the home look forward to meeting with us every week, and some of the seniors are regular attendants.
One of our regulars is a ninety-two- year-old woman who is very spry. It is very evident that she cares deeply for her family and she always tells us stories about them. One time she was telling us about her aunt who was in an Catholic orphanage in New York before she was adopted by a family in Minnesota.
At a very young age, this girl rode on the Orphan Train to meet her new family. The woman in the nursing home has a few family history books that tell the story of her family, and these books obviously mean a lot to her. Still, she trusted Stephanie and me to borrow the book about her aunt so we could read it for ourselves. We were both surprised, but at the same time, it just shows how close we have come to this woman in our time at the American Senior Village.
-Samantha Vorwald
