Several weeks ago, I heard some type of bird outside of my office window. I couldn’t see the bird, but I could hear a “cooing” of sorts, and at first it sounded like an owl. The cooing was present every morning shortly after arriving to my office. There were nearby trees that lined the sidewalk, but this sound seemed to be closer. Finally, I saw her. A mourning dove had made a nest on top of an outdoor storage cabinet that sat on the porch outside my office window. She was beautiful and upon closer inspection, was just beginning to build a nest. Her male partner soon arrived and the pair worked together every day until their nest was complete.
One morning, Kathy, who is a participant in our ADHC program, came into my office. We were having a normal conversation and I brought her to the window to show her the nest and Momma bird. Kathy’s face immediately lit up and she became so excited. She began telling me all about mourning doves, and I quickly realized she was a bird-lover. Kathy had previously struggled with weight loss, was tearful at times, and was not very involved in the daily activities at the center. But, this! This was a side of Kathy I had not seen often. One filled with smiles, and excitement, and joy! She was very knowledgeable about mourning doves, and birds in general.
The next day, Kathy came in with some pastel colored strings of yarn, and some bird seed. She asked if we could put those up on top of the cabinet for the birds…..so we did. Every day, Kathy came to my office as soon as she arrived to Generations and “checked” on the birds. We decided to give them names, so they became “Ricky and Lucy”. We watched the birds every day and they would take turns sitting on the nest. After a couple weeks, we realized Lucy was sitting on two eggs! Kathy was so excited and couldn’t wait to see the babies! One morning when I came in, I decided to check them before Kathy arrived, and the babies had hatched over the weekend! I couldn’t wait to show Kathy! When she arrived that morning, I took her outside and helped her stand on a small step stool so she could see on top of the cabinet. She was so happy to finally see the babies! Momma bird had gotten used to us checking on her every day and she wasn’t scared of us at all. She let us take pictures of her and her babies, and I printed the pictures off for Kathy to keep.
We watched the babies grow over the next couple weeks and they finally left the nest. This entire process was amazing to watch up close, but what I realized was this process had completely transformed Kathy, and she was no longer struggling with feeling sad. Her overall personality changed. She was fulfilled and happy. Making sure Ricky & Lucy and the babies were ok each day had given her a purpose.
I shared this story with other staff from another agency who were also involved in Kathy’s care. The staff ordered Kathy some books all about mourning doves. Once the books came, Kathy couldn’t wait to show them to me. I asked her if she would like to do a presentation to the other daycare participants about mourning doves and share the pictures of Ricky & Lucy and their babies with the other participants. She was so excited and immediately said yes! Once again………Kathy realized she had purpose. The following week she shared the story and photos of Ricky & Lucy with our entire ADHC staff and participants, and she educated everyone on mourning doves. She did a great job and we were all so proud of her.
Since all of this happened, Kathy has remained positive, happy and she has become more social and much more involved in daily activities. She needed to feel needed, and to have a purpose. Having purpose gives meaning to life…………………and everyone deserves to have a meaningful life! Find YOUR purpose and share it with others!
Written by:
Lisa Osborne, RN
Generations ADHC Health Care Coordinator
