The beauty of nature

Golden Living Center- Elizabeth Adam Crump, located on a beautiful rural campus in Glen Allen, Virginia, is the home of Mr. Alphonso Nash. This gentleman is of large stature and very few words. His needs are basic, his wants are few, but he is a person who throughout his 82 years has truly learned to enjoy the simple pleasures of life. He enjoys venturing outside each day, taking in the mysteries of nature.

A gentleman of Cherokee and Mohawk Native American descent, Mr. Nash has a special bond with nature. He "listens to the wind" and "watches the grass grow." He will alert staff when the bird feeders need to be refilled so the bluebirds and cardinals will return. Mr. Nash enjoys the bright colors of the flowers and rose bushes, but it is so much more than that. He sees the bees and the bugs and says they are "God's creatures."

There is much to be learned from this quiet, unassuming resident. If we can learn to relax and sharpen our senses, maybe we too can hear the secret messages of the wind and make the wonder of nature one of our own simple pleasures of life!