As the holidays come about in the late fall of 2019, I have come
to know a most remarkable lady.
She celebrated her 100th birthday in October.
Her name is Loretta Meyers.
She is a Chicagoland native, a retired businesswoman, a
wife, now a widow, a mother, grandmother and great grandmother, and is a
successful teacher. And, simply put, a leader in her own right. Loretta gets around with the use of a wheelchair
and a walker. She resides in a wonderful, cozy retirement center in Wilmette, IL.
Our agency, BRC Access Care, is privileged to provide loving caregivers for
Mrs. Meyers during each week. (Thanks to Bel and Helen).
As a token of our love and admiration for her, I was
fortunate to go see her on Sunday afternoon along with a couple of kind teenagers
who have dubbed their visitation ministry “Cardinal Cares”, using the metaphor
of the cardinal as a symbol of God’s attendance and care for us just when we
need it.
Pictured with Loretta is the sponsor of Cardinal Cares,
Kym Malkin, and her daughter Mimi and friend Daisy. Also pictured, behind Mrs. Meyers,
is our loving caregiver, Helen, holding the poinsettia we brought to Loretta.
While we were visiting Loretta, we happened upon a Christmas
caroling program that she was attending. While visiting with her after the
program, we encountered a few of her friends who are also residing at the
center. One of them was Mr. Richard Baer, another of our wonderful clients who
resides at the center. He is 90+ years young. Mr. Baer is an avid reader and is
an enthusiastic and kind man. He loved the attention of the teens who shared
their ministry of presence.
Mr. Baer with Mimi and Daisy and “the cardinal”
Mr. Baer told us an interesting tidbit about Loretta Meyers.
For the past several months, beginning this past year, she has begun a program
at the Center called “The Great Courses”.
It is a gathering of
course materials from several excellent sources, such as universities, National
Geographic and others. Beginning in 2019, Loretta began offering this course
material at the Center where they reside. Initially, they had 20 or so of
Loretta’s friends in attendance. As the months went by, and the courses were
offered, the numbers for this lifelong learning course increased, to where,
nowadays, they have had to move the gathering to a larger space, since the
gathering is garnering over 50 in attendance.
It occurred to me that Mrs. Meyers is a wonderful example
for us all.
At age 100, she is initiating and offering a lifelong
learning experience for her cohort there at the Center, encouraging others to
join her as a lifelong learner.
Again, what a marvelous example for us all.
I admire Loretta Meyers so much that I just had to share this
story about her.
What a great lady and outstanding leader she is!
