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| Thea's 80th birthday celebration in our home! |
My husband and I had reached Shawnee
Garden’s nursing center, our one-mile walking landmark, where we usually turn
around and go home.
John
resisted, “I’m wearing jogging shorts!”
“Elderly
people don’t care what you’re wearing. They’re lonely; they only want someone
to talk to.”
After introducing ourselves
to the receptionist, we walked down a long corridor where one small framed
woman, crouched over in her wheel chair, stared ahead. Hmm…I wonder if her mind is as
shriveled as her body.
“Hi,
I’m Pam.” She returned a skeptical look for our smiles. “I’m Thea,” she
responded, gruffly.
Thea’s
thick German accent aroused our curiosity, triggering a string of questions.
She methodically shared pieces of her life story.
Thea
grew up in Munich, Germany, during Hitler’s cruel reign. Sometimes she hid for
days from the Gestapo. “I still dream of bombs exploding.” One explosion left Thea unconscious and seriously
injured.
