Branches of Joy

This past Saturday, a group of 13 friends and myself participated in an outreach event called Branches of Joy. The idea came from one of my friends from high school, and the purpose is to bring joy to the elderly who are often alone over Christmas.

All day we decorated 42 mini Christmas trees with donated ornaments and made Christmas cards. We then spent over an hour at the St. Adolphe personal care home visiting with seniors, giving them trees and cards, and listening to their stories. It was so amazing. Many people were very out of their comfort zone while trying to communicate with some people who were almost non-verbal. But everyone did a fantastic job, and all of the seniors and staff really appreciated it. One man kept thanking us over and over again for making his day and even his life. It was so sweet, and I think that we were just as blessed as they were. It felt so good to bring joy to people who are otherwise sad, in pain, and lonely. This may have been one of the best parts of my Christmas.