Remember your Senior Prom? You know that awkward event where we first had to find someone willing to attend with us, then we had to find the right outfit, etc. When the day arrived, we dressed up, showed up and then we sat around in the high school gym watching a few brave souls shuffle around the would-be dance floor. And for some reason, the whole thing was quite memorable!
Recently, at the Baptist Homes of Arcadia Valley, we held a Senior Prom. Life Enrichment Coordinator Debbie Boswell, her team, and many of the campus staff spent hours transforming one of the dining rooms into a beautiful prom event. Dresses were donated from all over the area, the dining room was artfully decorated, and staff were recruited to wear their own tuxes and prom dresses. The day of the event arrived with the ladies having their hair and makeup done just right, and the men – well, they did their best!
My wife and I had the opportunity to attend, and I must tell you it was a beautiful thing to be a part of. Each neighbor promenaded through the balloon-covered archway to their place and chatted like school kids again. Then the music began to play, and a few brave souls joined the fun. A couple now in their 90’s, who’ve been married for six decades, took their spin on the dance floor. The husband gently maneuvered his wife in her wheelchair around the floor. The look on their faces was priceless. You could see the joy, love and intimacy they had shared for decades.
The staff joined in and danced with one lady to the Elvis song, “Jail House Rock”. Amazingly, this neighbor, normally confined to a wheelchair, stood to her feet and ‘danced’ with those who normally help her with her meds, push her from one place to the next and care for her physically. In that moment they were friends—just girls celebrating life together.
The Baptist Home is not a place to come and die, it is a place to come and live life well for the last days of our life. On this day, it was also a place to celebrate, relive, feel beautiful and handsome, and remember the joys of youth!
