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GOOD NEWS
Love is in
the Air
It was a 15-minute ceremony
punctuated by tears and laughter. More than 100 guests – staff,
patients, family and friends – gathered on Feb. 4, 2007, in the
lounge at Highland Manor Nursing Home in Portland, Tenn., to attend
the wedding of J.P. Blackwell, 70, and Janet Wood, 71, who are both
patients at the facility.
The bride wore a full-length blue dress and carried a bouquet of
blue, pink and white flowers. The groom wore a baby blue shirt with
a white rose on his lapel. The bride’s daughter, Janie Bradshaw, was
her matron of honor, and the groom’s roommate, Fred Smith, was the
best man.
Pastor Ed Sharpe of White House Seventh Day Adventist Church
presided over the ceremony. “God performs a miracle when he joins
perfect sweethearts together. Sometimes they are young, but
sometimes they are a little bit more mature,” he said.
The nursing home staff worked hard to plan the wedding. The therapy
department decorated the room with flowers, netting and twinkle
lights, using decorations from their physical therapist’s wedding.
The dietary staff prepared and served cake, hors d’ouevres, a
chocolate fountain and punch.
“Our dietary services manager, Linda Evens, has been here 18 years
and is very talented, but she doesn’t have the opportunity to be
creative very often. She enjoyed planning this,” said Administrator
Janet Pulley.
This was the first wedding to take place at Highland Manor, and only
the second that Pulley has seen during her career in long-term care.
Mr. Blackwell has lived at the nursing home for two years. One day,
shortly after she moved in last May, he noticed his future bride.
“When I first saw Janet, I knew I wouldn’t be alone anymore,” he
said.
Since the couple met, they have been inseparable. “One day he told
me he loved me, and we decided to get married,” the new Mrs.
Blackwell said.
Bradshaw was excited to be part of her mother’s special day. “They
spend all their time together and do everything together, so I think
it’s great that they’re getting married. I’m glad that something
like this could happen. It is truly a blessing that God put them
together,” she said.
Smith didn’t believe his roommate when he told him he was going to
get married. “I doubted it, but then every time we saw them they
were all huddled together like teenagers,” he said. “I think they’ll
be all right. They’ll be company to each other. They haven’t been
together too long, but they really like being together.”
Mrs. Blackwell said the couple did not have any honeymoon plans, but
the staff of Highland Manor did buy them a meal from O’Charley’s,
which they ate in their room while watching television later that
evening.
“Good News”
is a feature designed to spotlight some of the many
positive aspects of long-term care in Tennessee. Know of a “good
news”
item?
Contact THCA’s Communications Department at info@thca.org.
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