Just about every day family members, spouses and friends contact Wesley Meadows Retirement Community in Hernando, Mississippi, about care for a loved one who is living with forgetfulness or some form of dementia.

Wesley Meadows does not provide the specialized Assisted Living environment needed for such care. But this will all be changing soon. Churches, individuals, businesses, foundations and civic organizations have committed almost $450,000 towards the $1.5 million needed to construct Methodist Senior Services' first Green House® Home in North Mississippi specifically for elders living with forgetfulness. The Wesley Meadows Retirement Community Board and Capital Campaign Steering Committee members are hard at work spreading the word about this needed project and inviting others to lend their prayers and financial support.

The following poem was written by Mrs. Ruth Ashcraft Munday. Her father, Mr. Lee Ashcraft, Jr., serves on the board of directors at Wesley Meadows and is the campaign co-chair, along with Mr. Joe Frank Lauderdale. With her permission, we are sharing this beautiful poem, along with the following introduction from Ruth, which clearly shows how important the Green House® Home is to those that live there.

I would like to have the poem used, as needed, to help bring awareness and insight into the many benefits a Green House® Home has to offer to an elder. I was inspired to write the poem from a blend of experiences I have had within my family. My paternal grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and passed away when I was in college. Her disease progression was one that certainly touched us all and the topic of another poem I wrote called "Silent Darkness". My maternal grandfather had a mild form of dementia in his later years. I loved to sit with him at the kitchen table. He would tell me his treasured stories over and over again. Those days are sweet memories of time spent together. My husband's paternal grandmother had a more serious form of dementia. My husband and I made her a scrapbook of all her travels. We would look at old photos with her and enjoy reminiscing with her on growing up in Prosper, Texas, which is one thing she did remember well.
~Ruth Ashcraft Munday, Olive Branch, MS

MY GREEN HOUSE® HOME
Hello! I think we have met before!
I remember your sweet smile.
Your voice is so familiar.
Sit and talk with me a while.

I'm glad you came to visit!
You brighten up my day.
Warm hugs and laughter mean so much,
When the memory fades away.

Have you heard this is a Green House?
For people - not for plants!
I'm so glad I live here;
It's my home and second chance.

Come inside and meet my friends.
I even have a cook!
My room is neat and tidy.
Would you like to take a look?

I know where I have seen you;
In my pictures on the wall!
And now you are here in person,
That is the greatest gift of all!

Please contact Marsha Brasher, Executive Director, at 662-429-2070 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., to learn more about the project and offer your support. You may also contribute by returning the enclosed envelope earmarked for the campaign or by donating

online at www.mss.org.