It was at one of the nursing homes where Reaching For Joy has its memory therapy program, that I asked the question if anybody had ever met a celebrity in their life. There was about 25 people in attendence that day, and I had a number of answers to my question. There was answers of my mother, father, baseball players, and one woman had met Lucille Ball in her younger days.
There was one man by the name of Ole Bob who just sit in the corner half asleep, but then all of a sudden he raised his hand. I asked him if he had anybody to share with us. He then looked at me and said," I thought I did but I think I forgot his name. You see I had a stroke and I cant remember much anymore." Well, ole Bob went back to sleep, and then in about ten minutes he raised his hand again, only to fall back asleep. I continued to talk with the group for about 15 more minutes when Ole Bob raised his hand again. This time Ole Bob said, well I do remember that my wife and I got to spend a weekend with this gentleman and his wife, but for the sake of me I cant remember his name at all. Im so very sorry!" I explained to him that there was absolutely nothing to be sorry for. I told him that it was okay to forget, as just last week I was looking for my glasses and I had them on, duh! He got a big laugh out of that and then went back to sleep.
It was almost time for me to leave when Ole Bob raised his hand for the fourth time. This time he looked at me and said," You know something, that man must have been really important because he had people around him everywhere. Alot of these people where men in suits all running around. Now that I think about it nobody ever called him by his name, they only used appreviations. They always spoke of him as being F.D.R. WOW! Ole Bob had spent the weekend with Franklin Delinore Roosevelt, and his wife Elinore at their family farm in Pennslvania. You might say that Ole Bob knew a popular person, huh? You see back in the good ole days, Ole Bob had been invited to spend a weekend with the president and his wife because of Ole Bobs awarding winning essay he had written.
In fact, Ole Bobs family knew of this prize he had won, but they never knew who he had stayed with on that weekend. Talk about being surprised. Through the halls and in dark corners of nursing homes there are History lessons just waiting to be told, but no ones listening.

Reaching For Joy
Ken