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What is your passion?  What makes you so excited and filled with joy and life that you can hardy keep your feet on the ground?  Remember the passionate interests that you had when you were young?  Find time to pursue those passions once again or develop your natural inclinations, the things that fill you with a sense of peace and satisfaction every time you put them to work.  Do you love to draw? Draw with everything you have.  Do you love to manipulate numbers? Calculate with enthusiasm.  Above all else, instill excitement into what you do. Jim

On Wednesday December 6 th, Columbia Cottage took a heartfelt moment to honor and remember Christine Horn for all her hard work and dedication during her 17 years with Columbia Cottage. Chris was a champion for seniors and for her team. Chris sadly passed away on 4/5/23 and she is missed every day. Her contributions and dedication were recognized by the planting of a cherry blossom tree at each of the cottages. This tree will add some extra beauty to the landscaping and serve as a gentle reminder of how sweet life is.

Taking Control Many of us seek out the opportunity to step in and take control of a particular situation or event.  Whether it is leading a sports team to the World Series, running a fast-food restaurant, or even caring for an elder family member, when things are going smoothly, it’s easy to feel as if you’re in charge.  The more you perceive yourself as your own master, and the more comfortable you become in this role, the harder you will fall as it is said that storms will come, and uncertainties will loom on the horizon.  If you cling to control and feel entitled to having things go your way, you are likely to sink when difficulties surface.  I believe that we are encouraged to enjoy times of smooth sailing and to be thankful for them, but we need to be equally warned not to become addicted to this sense of mastery over your life as we are being trained to always trust in Him – for He is your Refuge.  He uses adversity to set you free from the illusion of being in control.  When your circumstances and your future are full of uncertainties, look to Him.  Therefore, we are encouraged to find your security in knowing Him, the Master who is sovereign over the storms of your life – over everything.

Tis the season for hot chocolate, candy canes, Christmas cookies and lots of family. This year we have welcomed so many into our Cottage family. There are no easy words to say thank you for your support and for allowing us to care for your loved ones. There is no other way to put it, we would not be here without our families. We are honored that you have chosen our cottage family to be a part of your family. To the staff, we couldn’t do any of this without you. You are constantly and consistently providing the love, care, and support that you would provide to your own families. Thank you for all that you do, it is very evident to see that this is not just a job for you. Your care and compassion for our residents’ amazes us all beyond belief. To our outside providers who walk through our doors each day, we could not function without you from the Reading lab to mobile x-ray, Dr. Pearlstein’s office, Rehab One and Accent Care we say thank you. To all our outside entertainers we say thank you again and again. We are truly blessed to work here, the last year has been truly amazing, and 2024 will be even better as we grow. We would like to take this time to wish you all the blessings that your heart can hold as we move through Advent, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanza and welcome the New Year.

In Honor of all the brave men and women who have and continue to serve in the United States Military, Columbia Cottage Wyomissing was pleased to sponsor a flag at the Berks County Field of Honor. The flags were displayed at the Wyomissing Stone House from July 4 th -July 8 th.

On Mother’s Day we celebrated all of our seasoned moms with much deserved artisanal cupcakes and champagne! Words cannot express the joy the staff felt while sharing laughs and hearing all of their wonderful stories!

Cassandra has been a Columbia Cottage employee for 6 years! After earning her criminal justice associate degree at Reading Community College, Cassandra decided to further her education in the legal field by pursuing a bachelor's degree in political science with a minor in Paralegal Studies at Kutztown University. She is committed to pursuing graduate education and continuing to lead in her field. In addition, Cassandra has always had a passion for helping and interacting with others in need. Growing up, she witnessed her immigrant parents being treated inequitably and developed a strong desire to fight for their rights. It motivated her to pursue studies in law and ensure that no one else would have to face similar mistreatment. She advocates fiercely for the equitable and unbiased treatment of all people and possesses a remarkable ability to guide others toward the correct path. In addition, working in the medical field has helped her understand and empathize with others, making her more compassionate and understanding. Overall, let's pray for good health and a fulfilled life. Congratulations to Cassie and all that she has accomplished! We can’t wait to see what the future holds for her!

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Kansas City Chiefs The Cottage was ready to watch the hometown Philadelphia Eagles take on the Chiefs in the biggest game of the year!

Who needs store bought flowers when you can arrange your own bouquet! The ladies enjoyed picking loose flowers and assembling their own colorful arrangement for Valentine’s Day!

This year, we were able to host our first Christmas event post-COVID and we were blown away by the overwhelming love and support we have received from our family and friends. What started as a “drop-in happy hour” turned into a 3-hour gathering full of laughs and holiday cheer. It was a pleasure to have everyone in the same room for the first time in over 2 years! We would like to take a moment to thank and congratulate the hard work of the staff members that made the party a huge success. First and foremost, the Food Service Department – the food was incredible, and the presentation was impeccable, guests are still complimenting the amazing selections! Thank you to all the staff who assisted in turning our cottage into a Christmas Wonderland and to those who assisted during the event! We had a blast!

Dear Residents and Families, We are pleased to announce that we are now using an automated resident family notification system. We will be able to notify you right away if there is an outbreak in our facility, a power outage, a special event, or share other important news. This new service will allow our staff to spend more time focusing on providing direct care for your loved ones. These notices will go out by voice call by default, for those of you who prefer email you will receive messages by email. Please feel free to ask any questions or let Noreen know if you would like to change the mode of communication. We are also happy to say that we are finally transitioning to our new call bell system in January.  This system is a pendent system that will allow for faster response times for resident care. For example, if your loved one falls or needs assistance in the dining room or in the hairdresser, they will be able to push the pendent and it will be broadcasted over the walkies with their location. The current call bell system will remain in place for emergencies such as power outages. The last change took place in Mid-December as we severed our contract with Comcast Cable, we moved to Retirement TV, you may have noticed that some of the TV’s changed, we opted to provide the TVs at no additional cost for the residents and families. Please do not hesitate to ask any questions you might have, thank you for your patience with all our changes!

Veteran’s Day is a time for us to pay our respects to those who have served. For one day, we stand united in respect for you, our Veterans. Columbia Cottage celebrates our Residents & Staff Veterans and all military personnel who served the United States. We Thank You! David Hassler – Army Russell Reinhart – Army Robert Rymshaw – Air Force Noreen Krymski – Navy William Mierzejewski – Marine Corp John Gehris – Marine Corp