Laverne Currie never imagined that she would live in a retirement community. The Currie farm in Franklin, Texas has 127 acres full of memories and had certainly become the place where she associated comfort. The plan, of course, was that she and her husband, Jack, would live on the homestead together until the end of time. However, when Jack passed away in 2014, the farm began to take on a new collection of emotions. While it would always be a place that felt like home, she couldn’t deny that the days were a little more lonely and the chores became more and more overwhelming with every passing year. After enduring the pandemic along with some health changes, a new idea entered the family discussion that she never imagined she’d feel open to.
Currie and her two sons began to discuss the idea of going to stay at Crestview in Assisted Living for a short-term period of time with regular visits to the farm planned to help her cope with the change. The plan was to give her time to regain her strength and rebuild her confidence before returning to the farm permanently. In the beginning, Currie was certain that this arrangement would be temporary and looked forward to her visits back to the farm.
Only a few weeks after arriving at the community, she began to notice the fresh flower arrangements on each of the tables in the dining room and asked the team about them. As a former florist who owned a successful flower shop for over 20 years, she was intrigued. The team moved quickly and put her to work making every arrangement in the community, totaling dozens of arrangements every week.
Soon, it was time for her visit to the farm, but in less than 24 hours she called her son and said, “Take me back to Crestview.” After that milestone moment, Currie settled in to her new surrounding at Crestview, fully committing to investing her talents to the lifestyle at the community. While it’s likely that she will always cherish visits to the family farm, she has found new joy and purpose with her friends at Crestview.
“Laverne is such an asset to Crestview! Not only has she dramatically improved our weekly flower arrangements, which bring joy to all, she has also hosted craft groups with her neighbors. She also makes quilts for a variety of special purposes as well as dresses for little girls in third-world countries,” expressed Mike Adams, Executive Director, “People think that you move to Crestview and just sit around, being waited on, hand and foot. While that’s true in some ways, we encourage elders to find ways to contribute too, to find their personal sense of value within the community dynamic. Laverne has done that and it has transformed her life for the better.”
