Wonderful People Wonderful Day

Yesterday, some of the retired employees of Frick Hospital in Mt. Pleasant, Pennsylvania gathered for a luncheon at Leo’s Grill. We try to meet two or three times a year to keep in touch with one another, check to see what new is happening, and reminisce. It has been a long time since I have seen this many smiling faces in one place. The song, We Are Family sums up the feeling that we have at our infrequent get togethers. The former employees positions are varied from housekeeping to administration, from dietary to nursing, from switchboard operators to registration, from laboratory and radiology to secretarial duties.

Some are new to our lunches, only being retired less than a year to those who have been retired for ten plus years, with many falling in between the two. It was a time to relax and talk with our “family,” a time to catch up on their lives, and a time to retell “war” stories of the hospital.

We usually do a round robin, each updating all of the others about our escapades, blood families, and what consumes our time. The one thing that seems to be a constant is that most of us are still into the caring things of life. Some volunteer for the veterans and the homeless, some drive for their more elderly friends, some are active in church projects, and others fill in as babysitters for the grandchildren.

It seemed remarkable how quickly we were transported back to the “family” feeling and how much we enjoyed working with each other. In a small hospital, each person helped another to get jobs done and to keep our clients happy. Many remarked how it was the “family” feeling that often kept them moving. I added my response, saying, “If it wasn’t for my co-workers, I don’t know how I would have made it after my wife, Cindy’s death.”

That was the way it was. We shared each others’ births, the deaths, the sad times, and the happy times. There was always that special bond.