“Under the Coral Tree”
Life Stories, Wisdom, Care Conversations & Thanks
Gratitude for Our Caregivers | Ninta
Ninta has been working as a caregiver since 2006 and started working for Coral Tree in 2013. She is retiring this year, and was going to return to Indonesia, but now feels that since she has bonded with her 14-month-old granddaughter, Faith, she will stay close to...
Our Friends | John Eilertson: A Pilot’s Story
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”– John 15:13 Through our work, our family has the great privilege of getting to know elders in our community, and to hear stories from their lives. We’ve had the opportunity to care for...
Cassidy’s Corner | Shortbread and Brawn
My father-in-law liked to read, eat sweets and drink whisky. Most of all he liked to make money. He had an unconscious habit of shaking coins in his hand–a reminder? My mother-in-law used to call him moneybags but that was after they were divorced. Mr. Mac, as I used...
Cassidy’s Corner | The Frogman, a Prince
My dad lost a lot. When he was two years old he lost his father who died from complications from being gassed in the trenches during the Great War. He lost his mother next, who had to go to work to support her two sons. Jack was angry at her, not understanding her...
Wisdom from Our Elders: An Interview with Bob Cogan, 96-years-old
“I’ve never seen such devotion.” These are the first words my mother says when I ask her to describe our friend Bob Cogan, who turned 96 this year. Bob is straight-forward, ethical, and kind. As my mom says: “He is a good man.”
Poetry Rx | “Small Kindnesses” by Danusha Laméris
I’ve been thinking about the way, when you walkdown a crowded aisle, people pull in their legsto let you by. Or how strangers still say “bless you”when someone sneezes, a leftoverfrom the Bubonic plague. “Don’t die,” we are saying.And sometimes, when you spill...
Wisdom | The Sacred Pause by Jack Kornfield
Some wisdom from Jack Kornfield in time for the holidays... An excerpt from Jack's book The Wise Heart; and also published here on JackKornfield.com. Our life can take on a whirlwind quality of working, responding, answering, solving, building, caring, tending and...
Wisdom | A Gratitude Practice from Our Friend Jean
Three Good Things A way to tune into the positive events in your life. From UC Berkeley’s Greater Good in Action; recommended to us by our friend Jean Watt. Jean did this gratitude practice every day. “Attitude is everything,” Jean told us. “So in the morning, instead...
An Interview with Jean Watt: What Can I Do? A Life of Service & Compassionate Action
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.” — Margaret Mead From left: Lorna, Jean, Robert & Herbert Hahn; Jean’s 1945 high school senior portrait; and the Hahn family beach...
Poetry Rx | “The Star” by Richard Bauckham
We first saw it on a night pitch as a dungeon, the world’s midnight. It appeared the only brightness in the universe, a bird of pure light soaring, a crystal ship sailing the dark deluge, a dazzling denizen of heaven leaping the vast vault towards our long lost world....
Gratitude for Our Caregivers | Nita
"Two Beautiful Peas in a Pod" Our friend Nita was an incredible caregiver, confidante, and companion to a dear friend of ours, Jane. Nita always dresses beautifully — which Jane, who also loved getting dressed nicely and feeling beautiful, loved. Jane loved people and...
Wisdom | The Healing Power of Gardens by Dr. Oliver Sacks
Originally published in the New York Times, an excerpt from Dr. Sacks’ “Everything in Its Place,” published posthumously in 2015. As a writer, I find gardens essential to the creative process; as a physician, I take my patients to gardens whenever possible. All of us...
Gratitude for Our Caregivers | Elyta: Our Joyful Healer
Elyta: warm, vivacious, creative, sensitive to the needs of others, healer to people, plants and animals, beautiful inside and out. Those of you who don’t know Elyta might recognize her from the photo above with our friend Pat — we often use this photo on our website...