FEATURES
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Aged in Years, but Young in Spirit By Iris Jaramillo I walked out of the Mildred and Claude Pepper Senior Center with a cookie in my pocket, a milk carton in my hand, and a heart overflowing with joy. Even though they are decades older than I am, these seniors managed to restore my youthfulness with their love for fun, friendships, and ultimately life. One may wonder what the source of their happiness is. The answer is simple; it is a whole lot of love. Seniors need nurturing and companionship, but most importantly they need to know that they are needed. Many seniors have lost their spouses and have families living in other cities. A common scenario in South Florida is that of seniors who left their families behind in their native countries after coming to the United States in search for better opportunities. The holidays are a critical time for these seniors, because they often spend Christmas unaccompanied. Fortunately there are many organizations that strive to make them feel valuable such as the Mildred and Claude Pepper Senior Center. This center addresses the pressing issue of loneliness amongst the elderly people in a special way. About one and a half years ago Elsa Rodriguez had the idea to form a choir as a service to the people in the center. She never expected it to be as successful as it is today. To her amazement the choir serves more than just the elderly, it helps the elderly serve the community. Their voices ring across the community every month. From children in grade school to the 13 commissioners of Dade County, this talented and enthusiastic group of seniors has diverse audiences to sing for. Every Thanksgiving and Christmas the choir prepares a special program for the center. They never disclose the details of the program in advance, because they want to keep it a surprise. Rodriguez feels that the programs, along with Christmas and Thanksgiving parties, saturate the elderly with the holiday spirit. "They come here to charge their batteries and gain their energy. Come Christmas time they are already charged with spirit." Presently the choir has an invitation to sing for the president at the White House, an accomplishment that Rodriguez is more than proud of. "I haven’t wasted my time with them. On the contrary, every day we get better. Sweetwater is one of the poorest cities in the county, and yet the elderly of this center have the honor of singing for the president." Rodriguez feels that their greatest accomplishment lies in the love that each one of them offers to one another. She recalls the concern that the choir members displayed for her when she was sick. "The telephone line seemed to be broken because everyone was calling me, and my blood pressure rocketed due to the many visits." The choir is a family. And just like a family the members know that it is something they can depend on. Maria Cruz, the seamstress in charge of creating the costumes for the choir, lives alone. She attends the center every weekday morning from eight to noon, because it is the only place where she can escape her loneliness. "This is a tremendous therapy for me. From noon until I go to sleep I don’t have anyone to speak to but the television and myself." Luis Menendez, a tenor in the choir, echoes Maria’s words emphasizing the gaiety they experience at the center: "We come here to let go of our bitterness and refill ourselves with joy. This is what gives us the desire to live. This place stimulates us to continue fighting the daily fight." The center meets the emotional and spiritual needs of people like Maria and Luis, because it is a place that is governed by love. God uses people like Elsa Perez, the center’s social worker, to spread his love. She insures that the elderly in the center are receiving the emotional and spiritual nourishment that they need, by using her gift of writing to share positive messages of love and hope to the elderly. Every day she recites a different verse before lunch and offers a prayer to the Lord on their behalf. Perez knows that God has to be first in order to be happy. She shares this wisdom with the people at the center: "If you put God firsthe will send you solutions. They can have a renewed life if they are close to him, and I tell them that through my verses." Perez’s position in the center is God’s special ministry. She feels closer to him every time she witnesses to one of the seniors. "Every new person is a contribution to my life. If I reach one person per day I feel that I am doing something worthwhile, and it is for God not for me." Juana Cruz, an alto for the choir, says that Perez is "God’s messenger for the center." Juana is filled with the source of love himself. She says, "If you are with God you have everything, but if you are away from God you have nothing." Juana constantly prays for Pillar, an incapacitated woman that she takes care of. " I encourage her to walk with God, and I put her in God’s hands everyday, asking God that she won’t feel alone." Pillar returns Juana’s love by telling Juana that she is "beautiful on the outside and beautiful on the inside." every single day. In a society that places minimal value on the wisest generation it is easy to forget that the elderly have so much to offer. Not only have their years of experience filled them with valuable wisdom, they are our Magazine, and the ones that remind us of our past. These elders are ours to take care of and not cast aside. God commands this of us in Leviticus 19:32, "Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God…" Respect entails honor, and there is no honor without love. Iris Jaramillo is a Junior majoring in English at Florida International University. She is a servant of the Lord, allowing him to direct her path.
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Wayside Baptist Church
First Baptist Church of Perrine
University Baptist Church
Miami Baptist Association
Allapattah Community Action Agency
Catholic Community Services
Mildred and Claude Pepper Senior Center Offers congregate meals, home delivered meals, recreation, and transportation.
Alliance for Aging, Inc.
Contact Pedro Jove
9500 S. Dadeland Boulevard, Suite 400, Miami
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