If you pass by the courtyard window at Heritage Park, you will notice it doesn’t look much like glass anymore. It looks like a garden.
It started with just a few colorful paper flowers taped to the panes, shifting slightly whenever someone opened the heavy door. But over the days and weeks, the garden grew. Pink, yellow, orange, and green blooms began to crowd the glass, carrying messages scrawled in black marker—words of gratitude, inside jokes, and quiet recognitions of hard work.
To the outside world, it’s a vibrant display of staff appreciation. But to those who live and work inside Heritage Park, the window is a living map of the heart and soul of the community.
The Rhythm of the Day
The flowers trace the invisible choreography that keeps the building alive, long after the sun goes down or before it rises.
On the lower corners of the glass, the petals look out for the people who work in the quietest hours. “Thank you to all the hard workers on 2nd shift,” one note reads, recognizing the heavy lifting done when the building is quiet. Nearby, another bloom smiles back: “Thank you to 3rd shift for always doing everything.” As daylight breaks, the window tells the story of the frantic, joyful morning rhythm. There’s Michelle Muscarella, described as a “ball of energy” who somehow does it all, and Virginia M., the housekeeper whose quiet presence keeps the halls beautiful. If someone needs an answer, their eyes skip to the yellow blossom for Trish, who always has them. If they need a break, they look for Diane’s flower, which reminds everyone with a laugh: “Got somewhere you gotta go, ask Diane for PTO!”
A Synergy of Care
Look closely at the center of the display, and you see how the different departments intertwine like roots.
The Dietary Staff has a flower dedicated to their ongoing mission of collecting aluminum cans—a humble, tireless effort to fund entertainment and live music for the residents. Just a few panes over, a massive blue flower lists an entire team: Tina, Grace, Deni, Kim, Gerae, Hillary, Karen, and Adam. These are the therapists, celebrated for bringing “compassion, skill, and heart to everything they do.” Nearby, a bright orange flower honors Kim Scott as a literal “ray of sunshine,” a therapist who goes above and beyond, while Dani is recognized as “the glue that holds Therapy together.” When a resident is recovering, it takes the whole garden—the nutritious meals funded by the kitchen, the strength built in therapy, and the medical care managed by nurses like Jade, who is celebrated not just for her immense skill, but for being “a lot of fun to work with.”
Small Gestures, Large Spirits
The most beautiful thing about the window isn’t just that people are being thanked for doing their jobs; it’s that they are being seen for who they are.
It’s Denayah, who doesn’t just walk down the hallways, but fills them with a positive light because she is “always smiling and dancing.” It’s Barb Doty and Brent Reed, both highlighted by their peers for constantly walking that grueling extra mile. It’s Tracee (fondly dubbed T-Dawg), the person everyone screams out for when they are lost and need a helping hand.
Even the small victories find a home on the glass. A simple white cutout reads, “We are grateful for the return of Joelle,” welcoming a talented, joyful evening staff member back into the fold like family.
The Foundation of the Garden
But if you take a step back and look at the window as a whole, you notice the secret behind how this garden stays upright. Stretched across the bottom panes of glass, anchoring all of those colorful blooms, are massive, bright letters that spell out a single word: KINDNESS.
It isn’t just a decorative choice; it is the foundation of everything built above it. The window stands as a physical reminder of a simple truth at Heritage Park: no one works in isolation. Every meal served, every room cleaned, every late-night shift endured under heavy pressure, and every physical therapy milestone reached is a flower growing from that very same root of kindness.
On rainy afternoons when the sky over the courtyard turns gray, the window takes on a different quality. The bright paper cutouts catch the interior light of the hallways, casting warm reflections into the building. As one staff member beautifully scribbled on a tiny orange flower: “When it’s grey and looks like rain, a smile at the sunshine that is Karen.”
The display doesn’t just look out onto the courtyard anymore. It looks into the very heart of a community that knows how to say, “I see you. Thank you for planting your roots here.”
Discover the Heritage lifestyle today!
- Visit Us Online at www.heritage1886.org
- Schedule a Personal Tour: Contact our admissions team today to explore our available openings, hear our stories, and find out how you can call Heritage home.