It was a telling “Gratitude Game” at the Paint Rock Golden Age Club Senior Center on a recent Thursday morning as people shared who and what they’re most thankful for in their life at the moment.
“Being alive!”
“My daughter”
“I’ve still got my mother.”
“My most sweet husband.”
“All of my friends and the beautiful flowers.”
“I can still work on cars and call my friends”
And there were many more things shared in this small but closeknit group. Interestingly, while some were born in Paint Rock, you’ll also meet people from places like California and Wyoming at the center.
“We have a lot of fun here,” said Linda Atchley. She and her husband, Charles, “the hugger,” have been going to the center since they both retired about a year and a half ago.
“Everyone is friends here and I enjoy hugging everyone,” Charles laughed.
Dyan Bradley, 71, has lived in Paint Rock for the past 30-plus years, but she and her husband lived in Wyoming and other parts of Alabama for a while.
“I love to be involved in things,” Dyan said. “If you rest, you rust, and I don’t plan on doing that.”
Barbara Murray, 82, is from California but her daughter has lived in the area since she was 17. When Barbara’s husband died about six years ago, her daughter started encouraging her to move to Alabama.
“After three years, I realized what a big job it was to take care of a home by myself, and I decided to come here,” Barbara said. “Plus, it brought me closer to my daughter here and my other daughter who lives in Tennessee.”
It’s been a big change from living in the desert near the Salton Sea, but she’s enjoying it. Her daughter, Joanne Joiner, is the town mayor. And Barbara does what she can to help the small community by helping with festivals, beauty pageants, and she’s working on a new town history museum.
“I call her the energizer bunny.” Dyan said.
Beth Derrick, 82, said if she wasn’t at the center that she’d be making peanut brittle for a friend. But she’ll do that later in the day.
Beth volunteered at the center for 20 years but now, she just enjoys going there.
“Now it’s time to set a good example for the younger people,” Beth said. “It’s something to look forward to and a good way to practice driving for me.”
She said it’s also easy to forget your worries when you’re with friends.
For Shelby Smith, 89, it’s something to do.
“I always have something to do, I cleaned my living room carpet before I came here today,” she said. “It’s important to stay busy.”
Shelby’s been driving about 20 miles to center for the past 18 years. When she started, family members were there. She made friends and has been coming ever since. Following the recent death of her husband, she said being at the center with friends has helped her.
Billy Maples, 72, said if he wasn’t at the center, he’d be home “watching whatever” was on TV. He said he enjoys the friendships he’s made at the center and playing card games.
The oldest participant at the center is C.W. Boyd, 90. He lived in Paint Rock as a young boy in what he describes as his formative years. When he retired and checked out the senior center, he said there were a lot of “old-timers” who remembered him from when he was little.
“That was back when everybody looked out for everybody — and I may have even gotten a whipping from someone out of my household,” C.W. recalled. Playing a game of Skip-Bo, he said there’s always a winner, but nobody keeps up with it.
“We just play for fun,” C.W. said. If he wasn’t at the center, he said he’d be home on the couch doing nothing.
But he might be using colored pencils to color sheets the center manager prints out for him. It gives him something extra to do and keeps his mind sharp.
Joyce Anderson, 76, grew up in Paint Rock Valley and has been attending the center for about eight years. At home, she gardens and quilts, but she enjoys her time at the senior center being with friends. She volunteers to help get the lunches prepared to serve and be delivered.
“I like to be busy,” she said.
Paul O’Neal, 74, and Ivan Nash, 77, both stopped by to pick up “Grab and Go” lunches for themselves and their wives. Paul was once mayor for three terms and Ivan also served on the town council. They talked about being responsible for the first street signs going up in Paint Rock. And they reminisced about the school that was once housed in the building where the senior center occupies one part, and the Town Hall the other.
“We had the best cook in the entire world,” Paul said about his days at the school. “We had three classes going on at the same time in the same room … and we had excellent teachers”
From newcomers to old-timers, there’s something for everyone at the center.
Audra White has been the center manager for about a year and a half and grew up in Paint Rock.
“I’ve known you since you were knee high to a bullfrog,” Dyan said.
Audra said the center provides 25 meals each day, Monday through Friday. There are usually 14 who eat at the center, eight people in the community receive homebound meals and three people stop by the “Grab and Go” meals.
Several of the center participants like to garden and around the outside patio are gardening spaces that were brimming with tomatoes, okra, peppers, beans, lettuce and squash throughout the summer. There’s also flowers to keep things looking cheery.
She said the job is perfect for her because the schedule allows her to get her kids to school in the morning and be at home for them in the afternoon.
“Really, it doesn’t feel like a job to me because I get to come in here and hangout with people that I love,” Audra said. “It’s the best.”
Anyone interested in the Paint Rock Golden Age Club Senior Center is welcome to stop by at 334 Church Street, just off U.S. Highway 72. The center is open Monday-Friday between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m. The phone number is 256-776-9874.
