Mother, daughter embrace family more than ever

Published 9:00 am Tuesday, May 31, 2016

“Accept blessings and forget disappointments.”

These are the words that are written on a whiteboard in the home of Carol Bragg and her mother, Katie. It’s a goal they have come to strive for each and every day.

The whiteboard has had a goal written on it ever since Katie had a stroke in January. It was an idea Carol took with them from the nursing home that Katie briefly stayed at. The words on the board now have been there ever since Carol asked what Katie wanted her daily goal to be.

“One day I said, ‘Well mom, why don’t you tell me what you’d like to have for a goal today?'” Carol said. “It just really blessed me, so I just left it on our board as our goal. I wrote those words, exactly like she said, on our whiteboard. And people would come into our room and they’d read that and say, ‘That’s really great.’ These were her words; that’s what she wanted.”

Katie was born in Seattle and has only ever lived in Washington. She was a stay-at-home mom for much of her life.

Those responsibilities, though, did not stop her from continuing to pursue her interest in singing.

She was once a member of the Puget Sound branch of the Sweet Adelines, a barbershop quartet. Her group garnered national acclaim after winning the international competition in Toronto in 1962.

She still enjoys singing. Just this week, her son was in town with his six children. They sat in the living room playing guitar and singing together.

“We had a great singalong with her grandchildren,” Carol said.

Carol doesn’t believe that could have happened before they moved into the Village Green cottage. The space allows for more family members to stop by and was a key factor in them picking Village Green.

About a year-and-a-half ago, Carol moved in to provide better care. She and her siblings discussed who would be able to make the move the easiest and decided it was her.

Though she was born in Seattle, Carol attended school near Chicago. She met her husband there and eventually moved to Minnesota. Her husband died about 10 years ago, and with nothing tying her down, she decided to move back to Washington.

“Before her stroke, especially, we just had great times of sharing good memories together,” Carol said. “It’s just been fun to interact with each other.”

Carol says that the community at Village Green has also been very caring for the two of them. Prior to the stroke, the two often went on trips with the rest of the members.

“I guess our story would be family,” Carol said. “We believe family is important, and it’s important to take care of family. I think she’s happiest and we’re all happiest having a place like this where we can be together as family.”

“It’s been great for me,” Katie said.