Manor of the Plains
EDITOR’S NOTE: In a nod to our
MARCH 2023
Presbyterian heritage, we regularly feature a column from a PMMA® chaplain in our newsletter. This month’s column comes from Robert “Bob” Griffin, chaplain at Topeka Presbyterian Manor®.
THINKING ABOUT… Lisa Montoya tackles yet another new role at Manor of the Plains Certified nurse aid, medication aid, life enrichment director, social service designee during her 18-year career at Manor of the Plains, Lisa Montoya has pretty much done it all. Now you can add the title of dietary manager to the list as she has recently stepped in to fill a critical void within the community. In this latest position, Lisa will be overseeing the community’s cooks and dining staff and basically just doing whatever she can to make yet another positive impact on the lives of residents.
Lisa Montoya
“I just want to make it better for them. I’ll do my best, and with the help of the staff we’ll do everything we can to make them happy,” said Lisa. While the position will require Lisa to develop a whole new skill set, she’s determined to be successful. “It’s going to be a whole learning experience for all of us,” said Lisa. “I’m up for it and hopeful I can fulfill it.” But that doesn’t mean Lisa is going to be leaving her old job behind. In addition to her new duties, she’ll continue serving as a PRN nurse ("pro re neta," which translates to "as the need arises.") Lisa in her fun roles as Cruella Deville
Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow on Groundhog Day. For those who gauge the future by a groundhog, that was supposed to mean we were going to have six more weeks of winter. For some, that might be a Bob Griffin welcomed forecast. For others, the winter has dragged on long enough! So, as we turn the calendar to a new month in March, what are we to do? Glad you asked! The Apostle Paul has wise advice for us:“…whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things” (Philippians 4:8, NIV). Sometime later, a man of much influence, Buddha, made this observation: “We are shaped by our thoughts, we become what we think.”
“If this job would’ve taken me away from that, I wouldn’t have ever put in for it— PMMA is my life,” said Lisa. “I’m a CMA
What we think and how we think matters. Our thoughts influence our emotional, physical, and spiritual health. You’ve probably heard of “the winter blues.” The winter blues is a real thing!
Montoya – continued on page 2
Chaplain–continued on page 2
Get the latest on visitation and COVID-19 at our campus at ManorOfThePlains.org/covid-19.
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