June is our month for roses. There are new blooms every few weeks, but not in the abundance found at this time of first blossoming.The hospital has a rose garden that is maintained in part by volunteers. The ground is carefully mulched and covered in the winter to protect the many plants, and they are carefully pruned each year. Drip hoses wind around the bases of the bushes to give the perfect amount of water. The results are beautiful!
It is a place of peace and comfort for patients and families to visit. I can add a walk to the rose garden as part of someone's therapy program. Staff can take their breaks on the benches and enjoy the fragrant air and lovely view.
Patients come to our facility for rehabilitation, or for palliative care. Their stays are often extended, and while they receive good care from the staff, it is the extras like this that are provided by volunteers that are special.
Many extra activities would not happen without the free services offered by those in our community, from the sing songs, recreational activities, to the tuck shop and gift shop operation.Mom arranged for me to become a "candy striper" youth volunteer at a Toronto hospital when I was a young teenager. I would deliver newspapers and snacks to patients and help the staff with errands. There is no doubt that this experience was one of several that led me to a career in health care. Our high schools now require students to perform forty hours of community service before graduation.
These roses remind me of people who give the gift of time to enrich the lives of others.
My kids are required to provide service hours for their confirmations and they've really enjoyed the service time they've done so far. What a lovely rose garden!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful roses. How wonderful to have that garden by your workplace for taking a break.
ReplyDeleteLynne- Children who learn about volunteering early will likely continue to serve their community. What would it be like if everyone gave a minimum of 40 hours a year to others.
ReplyDeleteRuthieJ- My work place surroundings are inspiring! I would do a whole post on that but I don't want to make people jealous.
Your last comment made me laugh because when I read your post, I was jealous! You really love your job, Ruth. You are always inspiring. I would have great pleasure in walking a patient through a rose garden so beautiful. Ahhh, to help someone enjoy their day and smile.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter's high school required 75 hours per year of community service and even though high school students frown on that type of commitment, I found them enjoying it.
Do they still have candy stripers? I haven't seen one in ages.
ReplyDeleteI love roses, but I have been too afraid to try and grow them myself. Are they as tricky as I think they are?
Those are beauties!-I have roses but bugs some times get at them.
ReplyDeleteMary- that's great that your daughter's school required community service too. That is a significant amount of time each year. Yes, I really do love my job...:-)
ReplyDeleteSusan- I don't think you'd get a teenager to wear a candy striper uniform any more. We do have young volunteers at the hospital, but they are just called volunteers. I find roses finickity to look after and have killed every one I planted, likely by neglect. They really need TLC in our winters.
Larry- I enjoy the rose garden because I don't have to deal with the aphids and black spot infestations. I hate using chemicals in my garden, but roses likely need them. The drip lines do help prevent black spot though as the leaves aren't watered.
Such a wonderful rose garden for sure!
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