“My parents drove from Montana to Lynden to start a farm when I was young. They moved because of the depression. My dad drove a truck during that move, and there was a goat in the back of it. When my brother or I were hungry, he would pull over to the side of the road and my mom would milk it and give us the milk to drink.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t even tell you this, but I never went to high school. My parents had 10 children — five boys and five girls. My mom got in a car accident around the time I was supposed to start high school, and my dad told me I needed to stay home to help with all the kids, since I was the oldest daughter.” -Fran T.

“When I was training to be a nurse, it was very interesting and challenging. I liked that. When I was raising kids, I was very busy, and being home with them was enough of a job for me. Reading is very important to me, so I read to them until I could teach them to read themselves.” -Jackie E.

“Oh, the fun we have! I like the staff; we have wonderful staff! I like the CNAs, and the head cook, Dave, is great too. I can speak and understand Dutch and love to speak with people here who also know how to.” -Mary K.

“I’ve had a hard, tough life, but I thank God for it. He put me through hard things, and I know he’ll get us through the pandemic, too. The older I get the more I realize how God is taking care of us.” -Nettie P.

“Find out what you were gifted with when you were born, and then do it. If you have natural gifts that God has given you, use those gifts.” -Tom G.

“I was in the Navy for four years and was an aviation instructor. A scary experience was being shot at when I was flying an airplane over Hawaii during practice maneuvers. I prayed; I never got hit.” -Bill M.

“The flowers in the courtyard remind me of all the flowers in Holland. There were big tulip fields, and people would go to and look at the flowers. I love coming out to sit in the sun here, and I have met a lot of friends here.” -Tena S.

“I like my roommate right now. She is great! People check on me all the time here. They ask how I am doing. I often say, “Better than I deserve.” -Irene R.

“Attending restorative therapy is good, and so is spending time outdoors. I also enjoy being part of North County Christ the King church — watching the Sunday service from my computer!” -Bill H.