Miss Lucy is back at it again

Lucy June Nickerson, otherwise known as Miss Lucy, Miss June, or June Bug (85 years old) decided in 1992 to retire here in Lewisburg. Since October of 2008 she has had extreme battles with her health. This past February, Miss Lucy was near death. The professionals at St. Thomas Hospital recommended Hospice care once she returned to the long-term care facility, NHC. Well after much prayer, her daughter, Robin, decided it was time to lighten her workload and spend more time with her mother. Miss Lucy has encountered problems with eating and has lost several pounds over the past year. Recently Miss Lucy received two pints of blood and she and her children are so grateful to the donor. Since then, Miss Lucy has been sleeping eight hours a night many nights, and she has been eating much better, but it's what she does during the day that has become such a blessing to others.

Miss Lucy (known as Lucy Goosey by some who work at NHC) has been coloring pictures since Mother's Day when she received crayons and a coloring book from her son, Dennis. In just four weeks, Miss Lucy colored 75 pages. "I know we're in the hundreds by now," says her daughter, Robin.

Her daughter, LouAnn, and granddaughter, Ashley, now supply the coloring books, crayons, and stickers, while her daughter, Gail, helps color when she visits. Robin just tries to keep her supplies and orders organized for her. Recently Miss Lucy has decided to create special occasion cards for friends and family. Miss Lucy's brother, Ted Blaylock, is a professional wildlife artist with countless wildlife paintings, prints, and cards available. It looks like creativity runs in the family.

Miss Lucy has always enjoyed her crafts. She would even set up at local craft malls over the years. She has crocheted anything from doilies to gooney birds and everything in between. She has made beautiful quilted items for her family and close friends. She just loves to make things and give them as gifts.

One particular day Robin visited and said to her, "Hi, Miss Lucy."

"Hi, oooh hi," she said when Robin peeked around to see her.

"Robin, I'm going to have to start charging for my pictures," Miss Lucy stated.

"You are?" Robin questioned as she chuckled, reminiscing back to the days when mom did her crafts.

"Yes, I'm getting orders every day," Lucy firmly stated. "I'm having a hard time keeping up."

"How much would you charge - 25 cents, 50 cents?" Robin asked.

"Oh, I think they're worth at least a dollar, or even more in a frame, don't you think?" Lucy questioned.

"Mom I think they're worth much more than a dollar, but I don't know if you're allowed to charge any money for them. Maybe you could ask for a donation," Robin suggested.

"I know" Miss Lucy shouted out. "A bingo prize donation for every picture I color for someone." (All of the NHC residents who are able, especially Lucy, enjoy Bingo more than anything. It has been a way of making them feel like winners again.)

"Now Mom, that's a great idea!" Robin agreed. Then Robin thought since her mom is there to rest, and to be sure that she's not overwhelmed with anything, maybe an order sheet on her door would be a good idea.

So now when someone walks into Miss Lucy's room, she'll ask them, "Have I colored you a picture yet?" or "Would you like me to color you a picture? Just write your name down and if you'd like, you can donate a bingo prize." Occasionally she gets a little confused about all of those details, but her family tries to keep her on top of things. Miss Lucy raised her children alone for many of their years while growing up and has always been there for them whenever she was needed. She often helped others raise their children too. What a difference children can make in an elderly parent's life when they are around for them like the parent was there for her children once upon a time.