About
Because words matter
Very Important Notes began with a story – a poem written by an elderly man named Mak, found after he passed away alone in a nursing home. In his words, the nurses who had cared for him discovered the full life he’d lived – the child he once was, the husband, the father, the man who still loved, remembered, and dreamed. His message was simple: look closer, see me.
This is
The Story of Mac
Mak lived alone in a nursing home, forgotten by all as he lived all alone in the Geriatric ward of a nursing home and the nurses did not know anything about him.
When he passed the nurses found something amazingly beautiful and valuable lying among Mak’s personal effects. A poem so touching and beautiful that should remind us people may not always know our past.
THIS IS THE POEM:
What do you see nurses? What do you see?
What are you thinking…when you’re looking at me?
A cranky old man…not very wise,
Uncertain of habit…with faraway eyes?
Who dribbles his food…and makes no reply.
When you say in a loud voice…I do wish you’d try!’
Who seems not to notice…the things that you do.
And forever is losing…A sock or shoe?
Who, resisting or not…lets you do as you will,
With bathing and feeding…The long day to fill?
Is that what you’re thinking? Is that what you see?
Then open your eyes, nurse…you’re not looking at me.
I’ll tell you who I am . . . . .. As I sit here so still,
As I do at your bidding…as I eat at your will.
I’m a small child of Ten…with a father and mother,
Brothers and sisters…who love one another
A young boy of Sixteen…with wings on his feet
Dreaming that soon now…a lover he’ll meet.
A groom soon at Twenty…my heart gives a leap.
Remembering, the vows…that I promised to keep
At Twenty-Five, now…I have young of my own.
Who need me to guide…And a secure happy home.
A man of Thirty…My young now grown fast,
Bound to each other…With ties that should last.
At Forty, my young sons…have grown and are gone,
But my woman is beside me…to see I don’t mourn.
At Fifty, once more…Babies play ’round my knee,
Again, we know children…My loved one and me.
Dark days are upon me…My wife is now dead.
I look at the future…I shudder with dread.
For my young are all rearing…young of their own.
And I think of the years…And the love that I’ve known.
I’m now an old man…and nature is cruel.
It’s jest to make old age…look like a fool.
The body, it crumbles…grace and vigor, depart.
There is now a stone…where I once had a heart.
But inside this old carcass a young man still dwells,
And now and again…my battered heart swells
I remember the joys…I remember the pain.
And I’m loving and living…life over again.
I think of the years, all too few…gone too fast.
And accept the stark fact…that nothing can last.
So open your eyes, people…open and see.
Not a cranky old man.
Look closer…see…ME!!
Lockdown in the UK like so many others, I found myself thinking about connection — how fragile it can be, and how powerful it becomes when we take the time to reach out. My parents were growing older, friends were caring for loved ones, and people everywhere were reassessing what really mattered. It made me realise how easily words can be left unsaid — not because we don’t care, but because we don’t always know how to begin.
Out of that reflection came Very Important Notes — a place to write the words that matter most. Whether you want to explain, share, comfort, forgive, or simply be remembered, VIN helps you find the right words and preserve them with care.
We believe a note can change how someone feels, how they understand you, or how they remember you. It doesn’t have to be long — just honest. Thoughtful words, written with kindness, can bridge distance, ease regret, or capture a moment that might otherwise fade away.
So this is what we do:
We make it easier to say what matters — to the people who matter — while there’s still time.