I read this to Dolores Holliday during her recent retirement party and wanted to share it with your readers as well.
I came to the senior citizens center nine years ago when I was a young 86. Looking around, I thought it was a nursing home until I joined and got involved with all the activity there is at the Center.
Now that I recently turned 95, I need the activity more than ever!
Have you noticed that Dolores has a pretty face? A pretty face may fade, but a beautiful soul lasts forever.
So, no matter how old you get, you never lose your beauty. It will move from your face to your heart.
A tear fell from my eye the day I learned that you were retiring from the senior center. I know you have to leave all those you dearly love. So enjoy your life and live it up!
Think of all the love we shared and all the fun we had. Just for a while, we’ll say goodbye.
If there were something equivalent to the Academy Award in the “Best Director of the Senior Citizens Center” category, you’d be under the spotlight every day!
May thanks for what you did for us. I’d like to add a bit of extra love and appreciation. Time is changing and time changes us, but our love will always be there. Love is at the heart of so many happy memories.
Thanks for being such a great friend and director. It takes a lot of little steps to make one big one, so congratulations for everything it took to get to where you are.
Life has many different rhythms and soon you’ll be dancing in the sun leaving the shadows behind. But please don’t forget your friends here.
Friends can be like balloons – if you let them go, you never get them back. Yesterday is for remembering, tomorrow is for dreaming, but today is for every minute that’s here!
So, Dolores, when tomorrow starts without you, don’t think we’ll be far apart. For every time you think of us, we’ll be in your heart.
As the years go by, through our older eyes and wiser hearts we’ll see the love and loyalty you had for us and we’ll hold dear memories of that love. You make my heart swell and ache at the same time.
If we wrote a story we would meet on the first page and the last chapter would be about how thankful we are for sharing your life with us.
Just a special note from me: I would like to be your favorite cup that holds your wine, water, tea or whatever so I’m right there whenever you need me.
Ed Balcourt
Port Washington
