Thank you to all our friends, family, our community, we are so grateful for these past 20 years. Thank you!
By the year 2003 we had been caring for my grandmother in our home and realizing the challenges that one little lady with Alzheimer’s disease could bring for several years. By the year 2003 I had been married to Denny for 20 years. So, in 2023 we will celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. Angels On Duty has been a big part of my family for over half of my married life. As I began reflecting on the 20 years, I began to think about how grateful and thankful I am for everyone. I started thanking God for putting me in the path of all of you. One of my favorite bible verses is, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge him and he’ll direct your path.” And that’s exactly what I needed at that moment, clear guidance on what path to take and he put me in your path, on purpose.
Of course I want to thank my favorite husband, Denny. He has been the only one, and he’s been my favorite. Thank you for sharing me, you’ve shared me in all hours of the day and night for the past 20 years. Thank you for having confidence in me and thank you for being my sounding board when I needed you. Thank you for letting me figure things out on my own and thank you for fixing everything mechanical that ever needs to be fixed. You are and have been a great partner.
I also want to thank our Mayor and City Council; I appreciate your foresight to help me save this old house. It has been a wonderful home for Angels On Duty. This house will be 100 years old next year. Although it doesn’t look like it, thank you Denny.
I especially am grateful and thankful to the Angels On Duty, the caregivers, the nurse aides, the nurses that work here. The caregivers that work here now and in the past. That’s why I invited you all, I am thankful for you all. A lot of you all have name tags on that show what year you worked here. And you don’t currently work here but I was thinking, I could not be here without them, from the past, we are all about that. I especially want to thank you.
Angels On Duty has a great name, and a great reputation. The reason our name is great is because of your reliability. It’s your integrity that makes us have the name we do today. Integrity is doing the right thing when nobody’s looking. And you have that. It’s your day-to-day work that makes us have the reputation, and you live up to it every day being an Angel on Duty. It’s your heart and compassion that creates lifelong bonds with your patients, their families, and with me.
This thank you isn’t just about the caregivers that are in the patients’ homes every day. This thank you is also for the Angels On Duty Administrative Staff. Shelby, Myriah, Barb, Jessica. Thank you all for all your help as well. The flexibility of hours we offer here at Angels On Duty requires a special, creative talent, it’s that flexibility that makes us different. It makes a difference in everyone’s lives, including your own, being able to work when you want to work.
I am also grateful for all the patients that we have had the privilege of caring for. Thank you for your trust and confidence in all of us. I have enjoyed working with hundreds of caregivers and nurses.
Angels On Duty has grown and touched so many lives and it has all been because of word of mouth generally. If you love your job, you’ll tell everyone you know. I thank each of you. I hope you feel loved. Maya Angelo once wrote, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, and people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
I hope you all feel loved, because I sure do.
Thank you again, I look forward to many more years with all of you.
– Sharon “Head Angel”