an in-house monthly review for camphill ghent and the ......having dora reynolds join us ... david...

An In-house Monthly ReView for Camphill Ghent and the Camphill Communities in North America 1


While the total eclipse of the sun this month was a dramatic global event, our Resident Care department experienced less dramatic, yet real changes. It has been a month of transitions.

A few of our residents required temporary stays at other care places, yet most quickly returned and their families say they’re eager to come home to Camphill Ghent as soon as possible. It’s been a pleasure to witness the friendships and caring relations that have developed between our residents over the years – and in recent months we’ve experienced how their warm welcome for new residents creates a home-like environment into which the new ones can easily feel at home in their new constellations.

During a time when care staff have taken vacation time to beaches, family and sunny destinations, their temporary absences were not like eclipses, but were filled by the sunshine of our steadfast team of per diem staff and regulars who carried the care with love and humor. Indeed, there’s a lightness and humor that’s pervading our care department as we’re finding new roles and ways of problem-solving together.

We are extremely grateful to Frances and Lina who have done so much in this time of transition, dependably carrying

full work schedules and bringing fresh perspectives and ideas. Having Sandy back is wonderful for our care team and the Aurora house residents and we’re grateful her life’s orbit has allowed her to return. The life of the Adult Home is also enriched by the presence of Ruth, Tracy and Lloyda, who are companions to some of our residents and now a given part of our constellation. And of course, where would be we be without our seasoned caregiver-resident co-workers – they are the planets in our little universe up here on the hill and their unique talents and dedication help it all to work in harmony. Nick, Gisela, Jill and Kari, where would we be without you?! Lost in space, no doubt! Gratefully, Renate


The Columbia County Department of Health will be at the Adult Home on October 24, 2017 from 10am-11am to hold a flu vaccination clinic. The clinic will be open to all Adult Home residents, Independent Living Residents, staff and coworkers. Those of you who wish to have the vaccine and do not live in the Adult Home should come with your insurance card during the scheduled time. The clinic will be held in the Activity room in Tourmaline. A reminder that staff and coworkers are not required to receive the vaccine but asked to sign a declination if they do not wish to receive it. We are thankful for our continued collaboration with the County Department of Health to bring services to us like the clinic. The Department was also on site recently to provide in-service to our staff, discussing the topic of vaccinations in the work place. Networking with our Community partners is another way of spreading the amazing work of Camphill into the wider community!

Recently we hired two new per diem Home Health Aides to join our team of excellent care givers in the Adult Home. In the coming weeks you will see their smiling faces in the houses. Please feel free to welcome them! I will introduce them as they come on board with us. We continue to accept applications for per diem care givers, so please spread the word to anyone you may think would like to be a part of our team!

The Adult Home will welcome a new resident to the Aurora house in the next couple of weeks, bringing Aurora to full capacity once again. Our newest resident will come to us from the local area and will bring with her the love of gardening and the outdoors! We look forward to having Dora Reynolds join us soon!


I would like to give a warm welcome back, to Sandy Bauer!! We have missed her greatly and are pleased to have her rejoin us. Also a warm welcome back to Shirley Destyl, we have missed Shirley as well and are pleased to have both of these devoted ladies back with us!!

I feel it necessary to mention some of the dedicated employees of Camphill Copake who also work with us in Ghent and would like to say thank you for being so supportive and helpful to us. And although there are many people in Copake who provide assistance and support, I would personally like to say thank you to Jessica Albright and David Clark! Jessica as our Human Resources Director has been someone who we can rely on completely, someone who is always available when we need her and approaches every situation with professionalism! It is an absolute pleasure working with Jessica and I thank Camphill Copake for allowing her to help us here in Ghent! And a huge thank you to David as well for being our guiding star with finances! David also is someone we can reach out to anytime, knowing he will be there with answers and support. With much appreciation to both of you for all you do!!

As summer comes to a close and the fall air slowly moves in I encourage you to take part in the many happenings in Columbia County during this wonderful time of year. From fairs to farm stands there is always something to do and see! All the Best!

Jo-An


August flew by so fast – it must mean we’re having a lot of fun! The month started with our new art exhibit. I hope you’re enjoying the watercolor paintings of Elizabeth Pisila and the flower series of Camphill Copake photographer Carl Wolff. Their artwork will be on display until the end of September.

Nigel Harvey - past president of the Camphill Association of North America – and his wife Angela visited us for a week and it was wonderful to have them here! With their visit came our Summer Ceilidh. Many people who gathered in our hall offered artistic contributions: Corrie’s poem/sing-along “Seven Ladies Trapped in a Lavatory”; Shawn’s song of a William Butler Yeats poem; Madge playing her ukulele; Deborah’s Oscar Wilde story, “The Happy Prince”; and folk dancing led by moi. Nigel offered a song and accompanied himself on the guitar and Angela also offered a poem. The ceilidh was so much fun that it’s bound to be a summer tradition!

Middle of the month, we were surprised by the Lev-Evans piano duet. Gili and Mark offered an hour of music of pieces for piano 4 hands by Dvorak, Lasser and Brahms. It was a packed house! Gili and Mark, thank you for offering a free concert!

Meanwhile, we’ve had quite a few outings this month. The first week, we went to the Vanderbilt Hotel for their Thursday dinner special. The second week, we went to the

Hudson-Chatham Winery for wine tasting. The third week, we drove all the way to Williamstown, MA to see the Picasso exhibit at Clark Museum. And the last week, we drove to Churchtown Dairy Farm to join their first ever Garden Walk – we enjoyed the cheese tasting! With everything – the dinner; the wine tasting; the cheese tasting; and the museum gazing – what was really most important and special is the company! We had fun and laughter on the bus; we heard stories about each other; and we’re planning more outings! We hope many more can join us next time!

Onat


As Accounting Manager for Camphill Ghent, Camphill Village and the Camphill Foundation, David Clark’s attention to detail needs to be sharp. “Working in the finance office is like playing a round of golf,” he said. “Every play you make is of your own doing, which is immensely satisfying when it works and immeasurably frustrating when it doesn’t.”

Splitting his time between the three venues, David, 29, can be found in the Red Barn offices at Camphill Ghent on Fridays. Finance Associate Hannah Turner is in Chatham on Wednesdays, spending the other four days of the week in Copake. David’s main focus is handling the Personal Needs Accounts of the Adult Home residents, collections of monthly rents for independent residents, compiling state reports, making deposits and reconciling financial statements.

Working directly with Executive Director Deborah Grace, David often has to spend time reviewing complex finance issues. “Working with Deborah is really great because she’s always willing to take the time to get my perspective,” he said. “She’s dedicated to learning

finance which she openly admits isn’t her strong suit.”

David started working for Camphill Ghent in June 2012, then joining the Camphill Village finance team in January 2014. He serves on the Camphill Ghent Board of Directors as assistant treasurer. A native of New Hampton, NY, David

graduated from Minisink Valley High School and Marist College with a degree in accounting. He was part of the first year of students to enroll in Marist’s five-year master’s program, enabling students to sit for the Certified Public Accountant exam.

His hobby outside of work involves “copious amounts” of video games and playing a trading card game called, “Magic: The Gathering.” He attends tournaments at Flip Side Gaming in East Greenbush on a weekly basis, which he enjoys. A longtime fan of games, David said he played the popular “Dungeons and Dragons” in college.


While he was not familiar with anthroposophy when he came to Camphill Ghent, David said he understands the type of care given to residents here is extraordinary. “The quality of care is the best here,” he said. “It feels like home.”

Jackie

A note from Deborah: David is certainly right that finances aren’t my strong suit and he has helped me over the years with patience, professionalism and lighthearted humor, for which I’m very grateful. And it’s been a privilege getting to know what a fine human being David truly is, compassionate, generous, astute and discrete. Thank you, David, for everything you’ve given to Camphill Ghent over the years and continue to give with unfailing good will!!!

Born in Belgium on Jan. 21, 1921 the youngest of six children of Marie and Maurice Van Themsche, Adult Home resident Gabrielle Snyder spent her childhood in Melun, France, a small city outside of Paris. Education played an important role in her life as she and her siblings all attended parochial boarding schools in Ghent, Belgium. Gabrielle recalled holidays and vacations when all of her brothers and sisters came home as particularly joyous.

She graduated from a French college with a degree in child psychology, marrying her hometown sweetheart, Joseph Sagaert, soon after graduation. The couple had two children, Patrick and Rafaele, affectionately known as “Mimi.”


Joseph was a gentleman farmer who ran a large wheat farm outside of Paris. After he passed away, Gabrielle hired a manager to oversee the farm, relying on others to help with her children and to take care of the day-to-day obligations.

Near the end of World War II, Gabrielle met a young American soldier stationed near her farm and they began courting. She and Ed Snyder married in France and moved to Columbia County where his family had roots. The couple had a son, Michael, and bought a house on Broad Street in Kinderhook. She recalled what a bustling village Kinderhook was then, filled with shops, markets and a drug store. The advent of large supermarkets spelled the end to the vitality of small towns, said Gabrielle.

Ed was an industrial arts teacher in East Greenbush and Gabrielle went to work at Sterling Winthrop, a drug company in Rensselaer. “My life changed completely when I came here,” she said. “Here I had to work, there people worked for me.” Gabrielle did research in the company’s chemistry department, which she loved. She spent her time conducting experiments and “trying not to blow up the place” until her retirement. “It was so interesting,” she said of her work for the company which included Bayer aspirin as a product.

Gabrielle said she enjoys her life at Camphill Ghent, the activities and the people. Both Patrick and Mimi live nearby so Gabrielle happily visits them often, as well as her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Jackie


Anne was born over a century ago, in 1916. Her parents and 4 older siblings were born in Russia, and came to Brooklyn in the early 1900’s. Florence, Anne, and Rose, were the 3 American born children. They were united by their closeness in age, and did everything together. This bond never faltered throughout their very long lives.

Anne and her siblings were devoted to their parents and to each other. Every Sunday, all 7 siblings, spouses and cousins, spent the afternoon with Anne’s parents: ‘Mama’ and ‘Papa’. I remember chaos, loud conversation, lots of ‘noshing’ and laughing. Papa, seemed to me to be the source of this family’s love for life. Mama seemed to carry a world of worry upon her shoulders. I never understood how the Grandmother I met in my childhood could have raised her children to be such fun-loving, joke telling, song singing, entertainers. Grandpa was the balancer of Grandma’s seriousness. He was as playful and defiant as Grandma was strict, cautious and stern.

According to Anne, Grandpa saved her life. She called herself the ‘middle child’, having been born between Florence and Rose. Anne often told us: if not for Grandpa’s recognition, she was sure she would have been lost. He took her out for walks on Saturdays, and ignored


Mama’s strict religious rules by buying Anne treats on the Jewish Sabbath. Every Saturday, he swore her to secrecy and Anne had no problem with that. When Papa died on Anne’s birthday, this was for me, a very clear confirmation of their enormous bond.

Anne had one big disappointment in her younger years. She loved school. Learning was always important to her. Yet, in her teenage years, she was asked by her mother to drop out of high school, so she could get a job to help support the family needs. Anne worked in a factory, and after a year of misery, decided to go to night high school. Eventually Anne received her night high school diploma, but she never completely forgave her mother for the harshness of her teenage years, when she was working all day and doing her schoolwork through the night. Anne continued to love learning and was an avid reader up to the end of her life.

Anne loved being a mother and a wife. Homemaking was a joy for her. She was efficient and disciplined in her tasks. She cleaned, ironed, shopped, cooked, took her kids outside to play, with joy and a light heart. She also sang and danced in between, to her favorite records. It was the 1950’s and Anne loved living the dream of being a wife and mother.

Anne was always an artist by nature. This came out through how she dressed, cooked and decorated our apartment.

Anne listened with joy to classical music, but also loved the popular music of her day. When a Frank Sinatra special came on the TV, our family would gather around it with great excitement and expectation. Anne and Morris (her ‘Darling’) would often break into song together and would pretend to be Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, offering a comic rendition of their signature moves.

Anne and Morris had a fairy tale romance that never faltered. Their reputation as the epitome of marital bliss, was epic among family and friends. Of course they were real people and faced real problems and differences, but it is true that their love, respect and romantic partnership, lasted a lifetime.

When Anne turned 60, I gave her a painting set for her birthday. For the next 35 years of her life, she painted every week, quickly finding her way to watercolor as her


preferred medium. Painting was an effortless love that carried her through into her middle 90’s.

Morris, Anne’s darling, died 10 years ago when she was 91. Anne’s strength and trust gave her the power to continue to live alone in their Brooklyn apartment for the next 9 years. In her 100th year, it became clear that Anne shouldn’t be alone in her apartment anymore. So after her 100th birthday, she began the next chapter of her life at Camphill Ghent, where you all got to know her. Here Anne’s artistic nature was nurtured in unimaginable new ways. She heard concerts, saw art exhibits, and witnessed the power of nature for the first time. When Anne and I took our little drives through the countryside to witness the change of seasons, she was astonished at every turn. What a blessing for Anne that her last year of life brought such wondrous opportunity.

In the last months, Anne lost her ability to speak what was in her mind and heart. As Anne’s forces weakened, something began to shine through in greater clarity. A much bigger picture of her soul emerged beyond words. I could feel her focused, stoic strength. But also, her beauty was there right to the end of her life, showing itself increasingly as a force that came from within her.

Lois

Note from Deborah: I want to thank Lois for writing this beautiful account of her mother’s life. Telling life stories is something we share in our monthly community gatherings. It’s essential to what this community is about as it helps us to know one another more deeply. It opens a sense of wonder in who the other person truly is, along with greater understanding and compassion.

Also, reading Lois’ story, in which she accompanied her mother’s last phase of life here in Camphill Ghent, made me recall the incredible privilege and blessing of accompanying my own mother’s last phase of life, which she lived out in our community.


…Invites you to join us this autumn for inspiring music, both new and familiar!

Oct. 14 - Saturday 3pm Keyboard Partners: Bach/Shostakovich, Chopin/Silver J.S. Bach and Shostakovich - Preludes and Fugues, Haydn - Sonata, Silver - Nocturne, Chopin - Mazurkas and Nocturnes, Ives and Janáček Gilbert Kalish - Piano Nov. 11 - Saturday 3pm Complementary Eloquence—Words and Tones J.S Bach - Cello Suite, Shostakovich - Sonata, Schumann - Fantasy Pieces, Chopin, Popper Music and poetry with Inbal Segev - Cello, John McManus - Actor, Gili Melamed-Lev - Piano Dec.9 - Saturday 3pm Slavic Influences Brahms- Clarinet Trio, Schubert - Piano Trio Op.99, Mozart, Bruch and Klezmer music Paul Green- Clarinet, Joel Pitchon - Violin, Volcy Palletier - Cello, Gili Melamed-Lev - Piano Feb. 17 - Saturday 3pm The Melody’s Winding Path: from Vienna to Argentina to Czechoslovakia Mozart - Piano trio in E major, Piazzolla - Oblivion and Escuola, Dvořák - The Dumky trio Eugene Drucker - Violin, Roberta Cooper - Cello, Peter Weitzner - Double bass, Gili Melamed-Lev - Piano March 17 - Saturday 3pm Celebrating Quartets Mozart - Oboe Quartet (Arr. for Bassoon), Brahms - Piano Quartet Op. 25 Dorothy Haller and Frank Martin Joana Genova - Violin, Ariel Rudiakov - Viola, Gili Sharett - Bassoon, Nathaniel Parke - Cello, Gili Melamed-Lev - Piano May 5 - Saturday 3pm Chamber Music’s Twin Peak Mozart - Wind Quintet, Schubert - Double Cello Quintet Students from The Bard Conservatory of Music Robert Martin -Cello, Gili Melamed-Lev -Piano � Ticket prices - Adult: $25 Senior: $20 Student: $10 Family: $55 � Subscription ticket: 6 concerts for the price of 5! � Reservations: 518.392.2760 or [email protected] �

mailto:[email protected]


Dear Friends,

The past few mornings have brought an Autumn chill into these hot Summer days. On walks and drives, one sees leaves beginning to turn: little flames finding their way to the tree tips one last time before they hide for the winter in the secrecy of the Earth. For the five of us, in the Papas family, these last months, since the middle of May, have been a "summering" of the soul: a chance to rise up out of the dark ground and seek the sun, after what had been a long, cold winter. As of writing this, we and the Earth have passed through a solar eclipse; in coming weeks, the daylight hours will rapidly shorten as the Autumn winds blow winter-wards. For the five of us, it is time to leave our summer home here on the hill in Camphill Ghent. We have begun turning towards our new home and work in Camphill Village Copake and will be drawing away from the home we've been so fortunate to have here.

We are so grateful for the warmth with which our wandering family was received here at Camphill Ghent and also for the opportunities for friendship, festivals, meetings at the pool and at the mailbox, bike-rides and berry-picking, flow-forms and the meaningful work that comes with trying to do things together, for each other.

That Evelyn Sofie has had a beautiful and peaceful place in the world to begin her life we owe to the beauty and peace abiding here and weaving amongst you all. When the time is right, we hope to return and celebrate her baptism here in Camphill Ghent with you all.

Very warmly and with excitement for continued connections,

Emilie, Joseph, Isaac and Thomas (also Evelyn)

Joan Strochak

an in-house monthly review for camphill ghent and the ......having dora reynolds join us ... david...

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