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In Flanders Fields, the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie, In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields. In Flanders Fields " is a war poem in the form of a rondeau, written during the First World War by Canadian physician Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae. He was inspired to write it on May 3, 1915, after presiding over the funeral of a friend and fellow soldier, Lieutenant Alexis Helmer. They died in the Second Battle of Ypres. According to legend, fellow soldiers retrieved the poem after McCrae, initially dissatisfied with his work, discarded it. "In Flanders Fields" was first published on December 8 of that year in the London magazine Punch. Flanders Fields is a common English name for the World War I battlefields in Belgium and France. It is one of the most quoted poems from the war. As a result of its immediate popularity, parts of the poem were used in efforts and appeals to recruit soldiers and raise money selling war bonds. In addition, it references the red poppies that grew over the graves of fallen soldiers, resulting in the remembrance poppy becoming one of the world's most recognized memorial symbols for soldiers who have died in the conflict. The poem and poppy are prominent Remembrance Day symbols throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, particularly in Canada, where "In Flanders Fields" is one of the nation's best-known literary works. The poem is also widely known in the United States and is associated with Veterans Day and Memorial Day.

Our crafty cottage volunteer gathered the ladies for an afternoon of stamp art.  Everyone’s pictures came out beautifully!

Summer came to an end with a sweet treat for our staff and residents. . . courtesy of Caring Hospice, everyone was able to end the summer and cool off with their favorite flavor of shaved ice.

The Cottage celebrated Milton Hershey’s birthday by eating chocolate of course! The residents tasted different types of chocolates from milk chocolate, to raspberry, caramel and white chocolate.  I think everyone agreed. . there wasn’t one bad bite!

The best way to kick off the fall season is with our very own OKTOBERFEST!  Residents enjoyed a German feast for lunch and then joined us in the beer garden for beer and soft pretzels.  Prost!!

Our amazing volunteer Deb has been spending time creating crafts with the residents.  Everyone painted their own terracotta pot and then the following week, planted ivy seeds. . . now we will watch them grow!

The residents had a wonderful time listening to the 50’s and 60’s songs from the past with the talented singer Chris Darin!  The residents were moving and grooving while singing along to their favorite tunes.

One of my grandfather’s favorite sayings was that we should not let fear of mistakes override the excitement of trying something new.  I recently shared this advice with my oldest daughter who is in the process of making the biggest decision of her teenaged life – what college to attend.   In continuing with my reminiscence, I recalled that he would also say that when facing a major decision, learn as much as you can about the matter.  So, my daughter and I created a complex spreadsheet which outlined and ranked over 20 colleges and universities on a dozen key factors – with specific focus on fields of study, NCAA conference, distance from home, graduation and retention rates, crime on campus, quality of food programs, virtual tours, and even YouTube reviews… just to name a few.   Ella is following a very logical process but as the days come and go, she is feeling less confident and more frustrated in the pending event.  Her mom and I continued to give her reassurances and plenty of hugs but her fear of making the wrong choice persisted.  Finally, our youngest daughter came to the rescue by stating something very simple.  She said, “Ella, don’t you remember what we learned last Sunday at church… about how we can seek God’s Face and He will guide us with His counsel?  The instructor encouraged us to go ahead and make the decisions we needed to do and pray that His will to be done in the matter but most importantly, we should release the results to God.”  We all just sat there in amazement over what this 15-year-old girl was reciting because she was so right!  When choices need to be made, anxiety can cloud our thinking – perhaps even immobilizing us.  The remedy is to remember that He is with us and for us.  We do not have to perform well for God to keep loving us.  Absolutely nothing, including our worst mistakes, can separate us from our Loving God.  Again, some heavy advice from a little youthful soul.  More to come on the “final” college selection – I promise.

We live in an overstimulated society, where busy schedules lead to lack of connection, where many people go through life barely looking one another in the eye, where connection is summarized by scrolling down a Facebook newsfeed and clicking “Like” to show we care.  Research shows that helping others can be good for our overall health. It reduces stress, improves our emotional well-being and even benefits our physical health. Doing something nice for someone doesn't cost a lot of time or money. We have all been told that it's the small things in life that can make a big difference.   So, if you are not already in the habit of performing random kind acts — or if it does not come naturally to you — start by thinking about what you like to do.  It’s not about you being like, ‘Oh man, now I have to learn how to bake cookies in order to be nice’.  It’s about, what skills and talents do you already have?  And how can you turn that into an offering for other people? If you do nothing else today, keep an eye out for an opportunity to help someone with a random act of kindness or hold onto that warm feeling, when someone helps you.  Here is a quick list of 10 things to consider: Read stories to school children. Hold the door open for someone. Smile at everyone you see today. Tape some coins on a vending machine for someone else to find. Leave a kind note in a library book. Donate an old toy to charity. Leave positive notes in random places. Help someone with their bags. Buy someone in the queue a coffee. Volunteer at a homeless shelter. Remember, acts of kindness can be done all year round!

I try to start each day reading, even on the weekends, a daily devotional that my wife gave me for my 50 th birthday or listening to a quick 10-minute meditation session.  For me, it helps to realign my perspective and attitude to life’s many challenges.  A recent session was discussing the concept of forgiveness.  The narrator spoke softly and began by stating the simple fact that we have all felt the sting of hurtful words or harmful actions and whether the person meant to hurt us or not, the resulting pain is real.  If we are lucky, a sincere apology follows, and that is enough to help us move forward.  But when sorry never comes, we are left reliving the situation again and again in our mind, with mounting resentment.   The message then focused on the realization that if we don’t practice forgiveness, we are the one left with the burden of anger and bitterness.  Forgiveness isn’t meant to erase what has happened instead; it is a decision to let go of the resentment we are holding on to.  In other words, choosing to forgive doesn’t deny the other person’s role in hurting us and it doesn’t minimize or excuse the wrongdoing but what it does do is create the opportunity for us to find peace.  When the meditation session ended, I recalled a small verse I recently came across which covered the topic of forgiveness and encouraged us to recite the following, “Today, I decided to forgive you, not because you apologized or because you acknowledged the pain that you caused me but because my soul deserves peace.”  So, when you find yourself on the receiving end of hurt, even though it is not easy, make forgiveness an intention; for as you forgive, you will set yourself free. Jim

The residents had a blast watching Donna make fun balloon animals and hats! Donna showed the residents how to twist and turn the balloons to create all different shapes! With fun light up inserts and headbands, the residents loved receiving their special gifts! Only a few balloons were popped in the process!

This month we would like to honor our Cottage Star, Christian Soliz! Christian has been with Columbia Cottage for 11 years! His coworkers have described him as fun to be around and always calm and relaxed! In his free time, Christian loves to be in nature. He enjoys hiking on local trails with his dog and exploring new sceneries. He enjoys trying out new restaurants with his family and exploring different foods. Christian says that he loves working at the cottage because of the residents. He “feels like they are his friends” and that he can be himself and let his personality shine! Christian is currently pursuing his nursing degree from RACC. We are so proud to have Christian as a part of our family!