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MOTHER-DAUGHTER DUO BRIGHTEN SENIORS' DAYS.


Byline: DENNIS McCARTHY Dennis McCarthy may refer to:
  • Dennis McCarthy (composer), (born 1945), an American composer
  • Dennis McCarthy (congressman), (19th century) Lieutenant Governor of New York in 1885
  • Dennis McCarthy MBE (radio presenter), British radio presenter
 

It's the food they need, but it's Elizabeth they wait for - Elizabeth they all want to see.

For her smile or just to steal a kiss. To touch her soft hair or run a gentle hand down her smooth, rosy cheek.

To hold this child close for a few minutes and remember what it was like to be a young parent with a baby in your arms.

They are all old and frail now, all homebound homeĀ·bound
adj.
Restricted or confined to home, as of an invalid.
 seniors relying on their one guaranteed hot meal of the day to be delivered to them from the outside, from the Organization for the Needs of the Elderly in Van Nuys.

Not many people enter their lonely world during the week. It's usually just them and the TV set.

That's why these few minutes on Monday mornings are so important. That's when the child recently honored by ONE as the Valley's youngest volunteer - Elizabeth Weinlein, 1-1/2 - accompanies her mother, Jill, to deliver meals to the homebound.

It is a warm, poignant trip, and this week we're all going along.

Jill Weinlein pulls her car up in front of the Magnolia Magnolia, city, United States
Magnolia (măgnō`lyə), city (1990 pop. 11,151), seat of Columbia co., SW Ark.; inc. 1855. Its oil industry has been important since 1938.
 Boulevard apartment complex shortly after 9:30 a.m. Monday, turning off the ignition and asking her baby daughter in the rear car seat, ``Are you ready to deliver some meals, honey?''

``Yeah,'' Elizabeth says, excitedly.

Jill laughs and lifts her daughter out of the car, putting her in a baby pack she slips onto her back. Then, she opens the trunk of her car and gets out three meals for the homebound seniors living on this street.

She's been doing this for seven months now, ever since she stopped by ONE headquarters with her baby daughter one Saturday morning while her husband, Rick, played softball softball, variant of baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Invented (1888) in Chicago as an indoor game, it was at various times called indoor baseball, mush ball, playground ball, kitten ball, and, because it was also played by women, ladies'  at a nearby field. Stopped by to see if there was anything she and Elizabeth could maybe volunteer to do.

``Yum, today we have chicken fajitas fajitas
Noun, pl

a Mexican dish of soft tortillas wrapped around fried strips of meat or vegetables [Mexican Spanish]
, soup, salad, an orange and bread,'' Jill says, putting three meals in separate plastic bags.

``Yum,'' Elizabeth mimics her mother as they head down the street.

Their first stop is to see Martin, who always enjoys having Elizabeth blow him kisses, Jill says. But this is not a good day for Martin. He barely opens the door a crack. He is not feeling well. Sorry, honey, he says.

Elizabeth blows him a kiss anyway. He smiles weakly, trying to blow one back, but there is only pain in his face.

``That's OK, Martin,'' Jill says, slipping the plastic bag of food through the crack in the door, and wishing him well.

From the pack on her mother's back, Elizabeth stares at the closed door, too young to understand why Martin hasn't blown a kiss back at her. Someday, her mother will explain.

``Let's go Let's Go may refer to: Television
  • Let's Go (Philippine TV series), a teen Philippine sitcom on ABS-CBN
  • Let's Go (New Zealand TV series), a New Zealand television music show
  • Let's Go
 see Vera,'' Jill says quickly, craning her neck to see a smile light up her daughter's face again. Elizabeth likes Vera Szentmiklosi. She makes great Hungarian cookies.

Vera opens her apartment door wide and smiles like it's Christmas Day, reaching to give Elizabeth a kiss and hug as she takes the plastic bag of food from Jill.

While Jill asks Vera - as she asks all the seniors - how she's doing and if she needs anything, Vera's eyes go past the mother to the child.

The old woman says she's doing fine, then reaches out and gently runs a hand across the child's cheek - her own face seeming to gain energy and renewed vigor from the touch.

She wishes they could stay longer to visit this time, Jill says, but she's running late. She has to deliver a meal to Reuban Parker, then drive over to Newcastle Street to deliver more meals to the homebound seniors who are waiting for their hot meal there.

Vera's disappointed, but she understands. She reaches up to kiss Elizabeth, who gives her a hug. ``I love you, honey,'' Vera whispers.

From across the courtyard, the strong voice of Reuban can be heard. ``Where's my pretty?'' the old man asks. He is blind, but he can sense Elizabeth is Elizabeth I, queen of England
Elizabeth I, 1533–1603, queen of England (1558–1603). Early Life


The daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, she was declared illegitimate just before the execution of her mother in 1536, but in
 close by.

The child giggles and reaches out for the old man, helping his hands find her face. ``My pretty,'' Reuban Parker says.

``It used to take uTs one hour to deliver the meals, now it takes us three,'' Jill says, as she walks back to her car. She's not complaining. She's proud of it.

Over on Newcastle, mother and daughter finish their rounds delivering meals to Leo Leo, in astronomy
Leo [Lat.,=the lion], northern constellation lying S of Ursa Major and on the ecliptic (apparent path of the sun through the heavens) between Cancer and Virgo; it is one of the constellations of the zodiac.
 Rosenberg, Lillian Zwicker, Betty Bowman, Aaron Goldstein Aaron Goldstein (born 1972) is a Canadian-born author and political commentator who, although a longtime member of the New Democratic Party of Canada (NDP), changed his party affiliation to the Republican Party in the United States following the terrorist attack on the World Trade  and their other homebound seniors waiting anxiously for their few minutes with Elizabeth.

The greetings are all the same - full of love for both of them. Lonely seniors waiting to give the child hugs and kisses For the XML format, see .
Hugs and Kisses is a term for a sequence of the letters X and O, e.g. XOXO, typically used to express affection or good friendship at the end of a written letter or email.
, and the mother their thanks - as if these two are family bringing them a hot meal, not volunteers.

``Someday, when she's older, I'm going to sit her down and tell her all about these visits, about Reuban, Leo, Vera, Betty and all of these wonderful people,'' Jill says, looking through the rearview mirror on the drive back to ONE, smiling at her sleeping baby daughter in the car seat.

The kid was a real trouper - made it right to the end before conking Conking may refer to:
  • conk, a hairstyle
  • Roscoe Conking, the Republican party boss of New York City in the 1870s.
 out. Cookie crumbs CRUMBS is an improvisational theatre duo based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

The duo consists of two actors, Stephen Sim, and Lee White. Other members include videographers, musicians, photographers, webmasters, illustrators, producers, agents, publicists, graphic
 were still at the corners of her mouth, and there was a smile on her face.

A smile on the face of an angel.

CAPTION(S):

Photo

Photo: Volunteer Jill Weinlein, with her daughter Elizabeth, 1-1/2, delivers a hot meal and some companionship companionship

the faculty possessed by most truly domesticated animals. They are social creatures and have a great need for the companionship of other animals. Animals in groups are quieter and more productive as a rule.
 to Vera Szentmiklosi.

Bob Halvorsen/Daily News
COPYRIGHT 1997 Daily News
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright 1997, Gale Group. All rights reserved. Gale Group is a Thomson Corporation Company.

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Article Details
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Publication:Daily News (Los Angeles, CA)
Date:Jan 28, 1997
Words:927
Previous Article:AMBULANCE SERVICE SWITCHES.
Next Article:KIDS TRY HISTORY ON FOR SIZE.



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