It’s that time of year again – when all that glitters is sometimes gold.
In the weeks before Christmas, the women of the Nightingale Circle of St. Nicholas, Virginia Beach, meet every Wednesday, gathering around tables bright with rolls of red ribbon and cut-outs of silver bells, working to make hundreds of handmade greeting cards in time for the holiday.
Each card is as unique as a snowflake, and each one is sealed with a prayer.
The cards are for strangers – the sick, the homebound, and those in nursing facilities – who, over time, have come to feel like old friends.
“I wanted to do something special for people in nursing homes,” said Susan Saunders, founder of the group. “As a former nurse, I know what it can be like. There’s a lot of loneliness. There are many people who get few or even no visitors.”
The women make around 150 cards at each meeting. Once they are finished for the day, they pass each card down the table so that each volunteer can sign it, using different-colored pens to create a chorus of well-wishes.
Amidst the flutter of shifting papers, the cards have created a butterfly effect of kindness and care.
Comfort in cards
Saunders and her husband, Dr. Milton Saunders, created the Nightingale Fund in 2004 to support Bon Secours’ parish nurse ministry program. As that ministry was phased out, Saunders began to think of new ways to serve – and came up with the idea of greeting cards.
“For some people, getting a letter can mean so much,” she said. “It lets them know that there are people out there thinking of them.”
Five women started the ministry in July 2021. Since then, their numbers have swelled to around 30.
They work year-round, sending out cards for holidays, from Valentine’s Day to the Fourth of July to Thanksgiving.
Typically, the volunteers meet every other Wednesday, but starting in mid-November, they begin meeting weekly to ensure the cards are finished and delivered for Christmas, Saunders said.
Prayer pals
Judy Salway, a parishioner of St. Nicholas, is one of the ministry’s founding members.
“I love arts and crafts, so when I saw that I could do that in a way that benefits someone else, I was happy to help,” she said.
She and fellow Nightingale, Mary Balonek, were childhood friends in western New York. Life has taken them in and out of each other’s lives over the years. Now, they work together in the Nightingale ministry.
“You can’t ask for a better lifetime friend than Judy,” Balonek said, as she glued a slip of paper bearing a message from the Nightingale Circle onto the inside of a card.
The note reads: “As we created this greeting card, we prayed that it would bring peace and joy to your heart, knowing that we care.”
Prayer is at the heart of the Nightingale Circle cards, Salway said.
“We are praying for them, and they are praying for us, too,” she explained.
“There’s one man who receives our cards who counts the signatures to be sure everyone is there. He worries over us. He asks: ‘There weren’t as many signatures this time – is anybody sick? Are you alright?’” she said.
True connections
“I was a speech therapist by trade, so communication is important to me,” said Georgia Brown, a parishioner of St. Nicholas.
Texts and emails don’t compare to the joy of getting a letter, she said.
“One of the nurse assistants told us about a lady who was in a wheelchair. She held her card all day long. When anyone passed by, she would show it to them. That warms my heart, to hear that we made a difference in her day,” Brown said.
Sandy Coburn moved to Virginia Beach from Georgia three years ago. Her daughter, a parishioner of St. Nicholas, told her about the group.
“A lot of us were crafters, so some of the joy comes from having something worthwhile to do with our old supplies,” she said.
“I like to use the scraps of recycled cards, to find inventive ways to use something old,” Brown said, as she chose a cut-out of two cheerful snowmen bundled in scarves for her next card.
Christine McGrath, a former parish nurse, knew Saunders through their prior work together.
“She told me all about what she was doing,” McGrath said, “and I decided to try it. It’s a challenge. When you hear how much these cards mean to those who receive them, you want to put some thought into it.”
McGrath is also the founder of a “plarn” group – a circle of women who crochet sleeping mats for the homeless out of plastic bags – at St. Mark, Virginia Beach. She carried the news of the Nightingale Circle to friends in her own parish.
“She was always talking about her ‘card’ group. For the longest time, I thought she was playing poker,” said Cheryl Hummer of St. Mark, laughing.
Hummer came along to a Nightingale meeting, and now “she’s got me hooked,” she said.
“You are giving people a contact with the world, a message that someone cares. And how could you not want to be a part of that?” she asked.
‘Dear Nightingale Circle,’
Toward the end of their meeting, the women stopped to pray.
“Guide our hands, guide our hearts, use our talents, let us enjoy our new and old friendships, let us laugh and be joyful,” Saunders said, leading the circle. “For we remember your words: where two or three are gathered in my name, I am among you.”
Saunders also read aloud the thank-you cards that the group has received since their last meeting.
“To the ladies of the Nightingale Circle,” read one card. “I have enjoyed and appreciated your cards. I am a nurse’s aide and take care of the terminally ill patients. … One of my patients loves your cards, as he has no family.”
“Dear Ladies of the Nightingale Circle,” read another. “We all enjoyed your Halloween cards! Even got a few chuckles.”
“Love you all, thank you all again,” a third read. “God bless!”
When the volunteers were finished for the day, they passed the cards around the table to sign them before bundling them into sets tied up in festive bows.
LeeAnn Waddle, a parishioner of St. Nicholas, paused to appreciate each one before signing her name with a pink pen.
“Part of the fun is looking at what everyone has done,” she said.
One card featured a cat sitting at a piano covered in holly. Another, a pair of cardinals perched against silver wintery trees. A third featured a manger scene dusted with white glitter.
“Some are whimsical, some are elegant,” she said. “It’s a fun and easy way to brighten someone’s day. To let them know they are loved.”