Emporia Presbyterian Manor
DECEMBER 2021
Hope for Christmas Diann Smith reaches 30-year milestone at Emporia Presbyterian Manor On Sept. 11, Home Health Nurse Diann Smith celebrated 30 years of employment at Emporia Presbyterian Manor—although if you were her, you probably wouldn’t have noticed.
People around the world celebrate Christmas with family and friends, parties and gifts, decorations and songs. All of these things are wonderful. However, have we overlooked the baby? We find that the story of Christmas is all about a baby.
“It was just like any other day,” said Diann. “There really wasn’t any big celebration, although Andraya Taber did get me a lovely gift bag.” However, now that the milestone has passed and Diann has had a chance to reflect, the length of her tenure has begun to sink in. “I’ve been here half my life!” said Diann. “My kids were all little when I started here, and now they’re grown.”
Editor’s note: In a nod to our roots in the Presbyterian Church, Greg Spring, chaplain at Wichita Presbyterian Manor, brings our devotion this month.
Home Health Nurse Diann Smith celebrates 30 years of employment at Emporia Presbyterian Manor.
Diann spent the bulk of the past 30 years providing restorative nursing in the Health Center before transitioning over to Assisted Living two and a half years ago, where she rediscovered her true calling. “I love home health,” said Diann. “It’s wonderful working with the residents and taking care of them and meeting their needs.” During her time at the community, Diann has seen a lot of changes, from how it approached the concept of senior living to the physical environment itself. However, she says nothing compares to the changes she has witnessed within the field of nursing.
“The biggest thing that happened was that we went from paper to computers. I’m an old lady, so that was a big change to learn. I took typing in
30-year – continued on page 2
We discover that the Shepherds in the fields “…hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.” Luke 2:16 The Magi traveled a great distance with significant gifts because of a baby. Even King Herod, though motivated by jealousy, appeared concerned about the baby. He told the wise men “…Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me…” Matthew 2:8 Why would a baby stir such evil actions in Herod? What moved the angels in heaven to rejoice over the birth of a baby? How could a baby bring hope to a sinful world? The emphasis is not only about who the baby would grow-up to be thirty years later. The significant
Hope – continued on page 4
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