I learned today that on July 9, the Mansion will dedicate and open its new Memory Care Unit, and they are dedicating the ceremony to the Army Of Good. Congratulations to you . Maria and I and Red will be there.

I went to the Mansion Thursday morning to conduct my meditation class, today the topic was happiness and gratitude. We talked about using gratitude to bring ourselves out of sadness and up to a better place. We had a full house – eight people, the biggest class yet – and we agreed that week we’ll have a gratitude session, we’ll each bring a list in writing or in our heads of three things we are grateful for.

This is important work at the Mansion, the people in my class have suffered great losses – friends, loved ones, homes, pets, work,  caring for their children – yet they do have things to be grateful for: food, care, companionship, safety, new friends.

I don’t sugarcoat the sadness that comes from their lives, but I do see that meditation and gratitude help lift them up. I am especially fond of this class.

On all of my visits to the Mansion, I stop in the office to see if anybody needs anything. I love these small acts of great kindness, they are often a challenge to me, and I love carrying them out.

I get obsessive about these needs, I can’t bear the thought of someone not having light clothes for the winter, and I wanted this new man – I haven’t seen him yet – get to sleep outside if he wants to. He’s apparently done it for years.

Tim stopped me in the hallway today and asked if I could find him some old Mad Magazines so he could write a satirical chapter in the new book he is working on.

Bonnie said there was a new residents who has always slept outdoors in warm weather and wants to sleep outside on the Mansion porch at night now. But he needs a lounge or recliner to do it. I also learned there is a new resident who has no summer clothes of any kind, and is already sweltering in the heat.

I so appreciate the Mansion staff. If somebody has no good shoes or underpants or bras they care very much, they let me know quickly. This is what I do, this is what I love to do.

There was some debate about whether the chair outside was a good idea, but the staff agreed that it was. I went online, and then to Wal-Mart, and then to Home Depot, and then to a small furniture store.

I couldn’t find the right lounge, I spend two hours  walking through these stores, talking to salespeople, visiting the house and outdoors departments. They were all too big or too small, too expensive or too cheap.

I finally found one I liked on Amazon, it has wheels so it can be moved, it has a cushion and is rust proof, a chaise lounge made for the outdoors. It cost $159. It will arrive next Tuesday.

At Wal-Mart, I found the clothes I needed, the woman told me her size, but I guessed from looking at her – I’ve done this many times now – that she needed a larger size. I’m not crazy about Wal-Mart, but it is easy to shop once  you figure out where everything is. And the prices are lower than almost any place.

I am coming to like Amazon as a place to get good clothes, the quality is good and they are also relatively inexpensive. So that’s what I got and it turned out I was right about the size. She has the clothes now, and is wearing them, and is so much more comfortable.

She is also very grateful. The requests of the residents are always small, and always necessary. These are people who have worked hard all of their lives, and are abashed to find themselves in need. They always offer me money they don’t have, and I have never taken a dollar from any one of them.

There are a lot of new residents at the Mansion, they have a lot of new needs.I am surprised by how many people come to the Mansion with little more than the clothes on their backs. It seems they have been hiding their struggles from friends and neighbors and families, when they finally stumble, they are rushed into assisted care with little other than what they are carrying or wearing.

These are the small holes in life that we can fill. Today was a grueling afternoon in a way, it was very hot and rushing around the giant box stores is draining and confusing.

But it feels very good. When I got home, a collection of Mad Magazines was waiting for me, the new resident had her summer clothes,  the new man was soon going to be sleeping outdoors.