MT. JULIET, Tenn. (WTVF) — A middle Tennessee woman has endured her share of struggles. Her life changed with her arrival at a local institution. That place is now celebrating an anniversary in a way you just have to see.
This journey Kerry Gluck lived is one that can be told in anniversaries; a 12th anniversary, a four-year, a two-year. I'm not going to tell it in that order. Let's do the four-year, the two-year, then the 12-year. It was four years ago Kerry's family lived in a Mt. Juliet neighborhood.
"My son said, 'There's a tornado on radar. You need to get to the basement,'" Kerry remembered. "A lot happened in a minute or less, but we all survived. Just the smell of the earth permeated everything. It was very strange walking around the property looking for things to recognize. I mean, there were shards of things. We all left from that property. I never wanted to leave it. Our kids were raised there. It meant a lot to us."
Nothing has replaced the house where Kerry's family lived for 16 years. This is not all Kerry endured four years ago. She long lived with complications from COVID.
"I couldn't walk without assistance," Kerry said. "To brush my teeth was a major event. To see this could be the end of your life was very daunting, and I became okay with it. I really thought it'd be the end of me."
Those complications led to the end of Kerry's 27 years working as a nurse. Hope came when she went to work at the place she's celebrating her two-year anniversary.
She's part of the rehab team at Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary. Funded by donations, this place fosters out senior dogs while covering the medical expenses.
"The elderly dogs hold a big place in my heart," Kerry said. "Every day of the week, we're doing something with the dogs, both here and the ones fostered outside of our sanctuary. We have about 100 inside our facility. A lot of dogs are brought in from pounds. That's how we acquire our dogs. They're brought from other facilities here."
After the tornado and her struggles with COVID, Kerry feels these last two years happened at just the right time for her.
"I thought, 'I could help the dogs,'" she said. "I know that position, needing help when you're at your lowest. I have that background. I gotta say. I feel like I've waited my whole life for this job."
So, we've done the four-year anniversary and the two-year. How about that twelve-year?
At Treemont Mansion, the night was young as the guests arrived. The dogs were dressed in little ties and dresses in a dog prom as the Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary celebrated a 12th anniversary.
"It's called the Geezer Gala," smiled Kerry. "We're here for the dogs. We get to celebrate with them. They're so thankful to be able to interact with you. It's a wholesome environment. It's just everything that's good for your heart. It's wonderful."
Kerry embraces the anniversaries, the ones to overcome and the ones to celebrate.
"I'll be in the mirror sometimes thinking how different my life is in every way," Kerry said. "I celebrate with hundreds of friends. Some have two feet and some have four."
It's truly the small things that add up to a great day - and Warrick in Lebanon is having a big impact. His familiar face is becoming a staple in one part of the community and inspiring closer connection in the simplest way. Enjoy his warm personality! You may even feel inclined to wave to a stranger today, too.
-Rebecca Schleicher
