“I’ve done an awful lot of thinking about what makes this family work, and I think it’s because there’s enough love to go around and some to spare.”
John-Boy Walton |
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New Mountain Shadows Fig House Resident, Melinda “Mimi” Anderson, and her Family |
By Sheryl Wilde
Some of you may remember The Waltons, a popular television show set upon the landscape of a fictional Waltons Mountain. John-Boy Walton said of the Mountain, “Waltons Mountain has been in our family for generations, a silent witness to all the bright and wonderful days I knew as a boy. There is something in this mountain which gives strength and stability to those who know it well. Its timeless slopes make troubles seem smaller.”
Perhaps this place, which we call Mountain Shadows, is much the same. It is the firm foundation upon which the Mountain Shadows Family lives out the beautiful and magical days of our lives. And on one such day recently, a new member joined our family, adding to our strength, and sharing untold gifts to all those who come to know her. |
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Narrator, John-Boy Walton, reading from his journal:
“In each of our lives, if we’re lucky, we encounter a few extraordinary people who forever alter our perceptions and color our thoughts. They become the touchstones of our lives.”
Recently, at Mountain Shadows Fig House, we came to know one of these special people, and our lives have been forever changed.
“Melinda is very loving,” says her sister, Cherrie Ellis. “She was a very happy child. She has cerebral palsy, but as a child, she could run and play. She fell a lot, but she was always so happy. I used to take her down to the park and spend time with her. She was kind of like my baby. She was nine years younger. “When she was a little baby, we called her Mimi. It was a loving term of endearment.” |
Narrator John-Boy Walton, reading from his journal:
“There’s a fine moment in our lives when we are young and innocent and our hearts first awaken to the mystery and pain of love. At such a time, we can give our love freely, without hurt or pain.”
This fine moment occurred for Melinda during a chance meeting over 30 years ago.
“Melinda made the whole thing happen,” says Cherrie. “It was a shock to us. She met Jesse at a Day Program and they liked each other right away. They were soulmates. She asked our mother if Jesse could move into the house with us. My mother said no, because she couldn’t take care of both of them. So, Melinda went to her social worker and the social worker said Melinda was old enough to make her own decisions. They found a place and moved Melinda and Jesse into it – just like that.
“We did her wedding. We had a preacher friend and she married them. It was beautiful. We all dressed up and rolled her down the aisle. Melinda was so happy, and she thought she was just the most beautiful bride. And she was. She was. “My mom got sick and died not long after Melinda and Jesse married. But she got to see them happy together, and she realized it was a God thing.
“Jesse pampered her like crazy. He was difficult to understand, because of his speech pattern, but he could talk. He knew nothing about money or numbers. He couldn’t read, but he could cook little things. He could fry an egg. He got her out of bed. He dressed her. He rolled her down the street in her wheelchair. He had a busboy job at a pizza place, and he would bring her pizza. He doted on her and whatever she asked of him, he would do. They were a beautiful little love story.
“She lived happily with Jesse in their care home for more than 30 years.” |
Narrator, John-Boy Walton, reading from his journal:
It seemed as if the only thing that didn’t change was Waltons Mountain itself. The mountain was the one thing that endured in a time when all else was in turmoil. Through all the seasons, through all the great and small events of our lives, the mountain was changeless, as fixed and as permanent as the glittering stars above.” As the seasons changed for Melinda, so too did the events of her life – and yet, out of the turmoil was found an enduring fixture of hope … and new life.
“I have a strong faith in God,” continues Cherrie. “So does Melinda. She knows God. Jesse passed away recently. But Melinda understands death. She knows Jesse is in heaven.
“Melinda was married between her and God. She and Jesse took the vows and lived them. They lived the happy ever after story.
“But, when Jesse died, Melinda needed more help and she started to panic. It was horrible. She would call me several times a day and say, ‘Please, please come get me! I can’t handle it. I’m scared. I have to get out of here right now.’ It was torture. We knew it was time for her to move. It was beautiful for all those years with Jesse, and then, boom! Everything changed and we had to move her out of the home they’d shared together for over 30 years.
“As we started to look for a new home for Melinda, a friend mentioned that her home shared a border with Mountain Shadows. She said, “I hear happy people over there.”
“So, we reached out to Mountain Shadows and, from the first time the people from Mountain Shadows came to meet Melinda, she was ready to go with them! Melinda said to the Mountain Shadows people, “Can you take me today?”
“Mountain Shadows had a room for her. They accepted her and she accepted Mountain Shadows. And I said, “Hallelujah!!!” They came and picked her up the very next day. She didn’t do well in the bus. She was panicking and crying, but they helped her through it. They helped to calm her, and they rode right with her. And when she went into Fig House for the very first time, she loved her room! She was so happy to be there.
“Melinda has been at Fig House for a little over three months now, and she’s already calling it home. She has a TV, and she loves watching all of the old TV programs – Gunsmoke, Mayberry, The Waltons. She can understand them. She watches them over and over. And her room has a sliding door so she can look out. It’s perfect for her. And she loves her new roommate, Jasmine. Jasmine can’t talk to her, but Melinda loves her.
“All of the residents in Fig House are non-verbal, except Melinda. I asked her one day, ‘Melinda, are you able to communicate with any of your roommates?’ She said, ‘I don’t know, but I try.’ And I asked, ‘How do you try?’ And she said, ‘I just tell them I love them.’ |
John-Boy Walton:
“Some things which may seem too simple, or unimportant, or even just downright plain, those things are really every bit as important and every bit as beautiful as the most magnificent things in the whole world.” As she has settled in at Fig House, the beauty of all of the small and big events in Melinda’s life are shared with her new Mountain Shadows family.
“Melinda loves all the people at Mountain Shadows,” continues Cherrie. “While she was very happy with Jesse, she wasn’t as engaged in life outside their marriage then. She and Jesse watched TV a lot. She had her own little world – and now she’s building a new one. One of the things she said to me about moving to Mountain Shadows was, “Now I’m going to have a new life!” She was ready for it.
“Mountain Shadows is doing some physical therapy with her. One day when I went to see her, she told me she had a surprise for me. She said she had taken two steps! They are working with her to better herself and that’s fantastic. We already notice a difference in her alertness, in the things she remembers. It’s very different than when she moved into Fig House, just a few months ago. It’s amazing.
“They are trying to get Melinda into the Mountain Shadows Outreach Day Program. I’m shocked she wants to go to there. At her other home, they would get together for celebrations and Melinda always wanted to stay home with Jesse and watch TV. She didn’t want to go out. Now she’s had a taste of Mountain Shadows, where, for example, she got to go to a concert and eat outside at the park, and she loved it!
“I was with her the day they took her to the Day Program at Mountain Shadows Outreach to see if she’d like it. She didn’t really seem that interested at first, but she wants to go because the rest of the girls in Fig House go there. They are her family now. She told me she wants to go because the rest of her family is going there.” Adds Eulalia “Lupe” Ramirez, QIDP/A, MSCH-San Diego, “Melinda is doing really well in her new home, Fig House. She was ready to come here. She wants us to call her Mimi, the name they called her as a child, and now she says to me, “Fig House is my forever home.” “I’m just so grateful she’s being cared for by people who are doing it, not just as a job, but with compassion,” says Cherrie. “I have nothing negative to say about Mountain Shadows. Nothing. “I don’t know how to put all of this about Melinda and Mountain Shadows into a happy little story. But it’s so glorious. So beautiful! I think it was all a God thing …
“From Melinda I learned that you can love people that other people don’t love. And that you can accept people for whoever they are.” |
Narrator, John-Boy Walton, reading from his journal:
“In each of our lives, if we’re lucky, we encounter a few extraordinary people who forever alter our perceptions and color our thoughts. They become the touchstones of our lives.”
We, the Mountain Shadows Family, agree. While the daily activities, the small moments, may seem mundane to some, when woven together, they create the magnificent tapestry of our lives. We welcome Melinda “Mimi” Anderson as one of the extraordinary people who embody and strengthen the foundation upon which our community was built. We are the Mountain Shadows Family – where there is always enough love to go around and some to spare. |
The Mountain Shadows Foundation –
Because We CARE |
Thanks to YOUR SUPPORT, the Mountain Shadows CARE program provides recreational and social experiences to residents and participants, like Melinda, adding meaning and richness to their lives.
It’s easy for you to help us continue to provide activities like this – activities that improve the quality of our residents’ lives in fulfillment of their dreams. Here are some ways you can help ensure these crucial activities can continue for years to come: - Make a one-time donation today by clicking on the donate button below.
- Make a monthly or annual contribution.
- Leave a Legacy Gift.
To learn more about the Mountain Shadows Foundation Legacy Society, to include us in your estate plan, or to let us know if you have already designated Mountain Shadows to receive a legacy gift, please contact Mandy Huiras, Director of Development at: [email protected], or visit our website by clicking here:
Learn More About the Mountain Shadows Foundation Legacy Society Please share this story with your family, friends and co-workers to help grow our Mountain Shadows Family! |
Mandy Huiras Mountain Shadows Foundation Director of Development
Contact Mandy today to learn more about the Mountain Shadows Foundation and how you can make a difference in the lives of our residents:
mhuiras@mtnshadows.org |
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