Still Here

I’m still here – finding my way through each day.  My dear, little mother has made progress in many ways but there are quite a few things that have made her care very different than we first thought.  I have hired a daytime caregiver so I can have some time to keep body and soul together.  Much of my time is spent managing life and business for her.  My sweetheart is in southern Mexico on a two-week missions trip that was planned long before my dear mother fell and broke her pelvic bone.  He will return home Saturday evening.  I’m not counting the hours.  Yet!  Just counting the days and looking forward to having him home again.

I am staying with my dear mother every night.  I ‘negotiated’ with her.  She hasn’t wanted a dog in her house before so I told her in order for me to stay nights with her, Joey, my little dog, had to be there, too.  After dinner each night I go home and get him.  The first evening he was there it was all new to him.  He had to sniff and snoop and check out every single nook and cranny.  She asked, ‘Will he break anything?’  ‘Only if it’s edible,’ I said, ‘then he will break it to pieces and eat it till it’s gone!’  He dearly loves her but he knows something isn’t the same as before.  When I open the door to let him into her home, he races to her side.  He sits in front of her walker and watches her.  Now that her home feels like home to him, he makes himself comfortable and relaxes. 

There are big decisions and changes ahead.  My sweetheart asked me not to make any big changes while he was away, unless they had to be made right away.  Just keep things working for her.  And for me.  Then, next week, he and I will begin to put things in place for the changes that must be made. I have sought much counsel and the changes that need to happen are obvious.  I feel such peace with the direction we will take.  Thank you for your prayers, your love and support and your kind comments and emails.  They mean so much to me. 

Today I read something that touched my heart and gave me strength.  It’s true.  So true.
 
‘As you care for your elderly mother or father, you may be the very hands of Christ taking care of them. And as you care for them, you may be surprised to discover that God does just the reverse: uses them to bless you as well, and teach you something more of Him. When this happens, you will know you’re finding God while caring for aging parents.’  (from findinggoddaily.com)

I am finding Him in new ways.  Every day.

The Journey Continues

The journey we are on with my dear, little mother continues.  The road has taken some turns and dips and had curves we had to maneuver but we are still moving forward.  She returned to her home from the rehab center last Saturday.  My sweetheart and I are taking turns staying with her until caregivers are in place to help meet her needs.  She is enjoying her home and the home-cooked meals we provide.  The journey is slow for her and it’s uncertain.  There are changes ahead – some that may not be of her choosing – but she is quietly focusing on continued recovery from the fall that broke her pelvic bone.  Please pray with us through these next days as plans begin to unfold and the direction for her future is determined. 

Your emails and comments expressing your support mean more to me than you know.   You are very dear to me. I will try to stay in touch and keep you updated as our journey continues.

A Word And A Verse

My word for two thousand fourteen:


My verse for the new year:

Karl Barth said it well, ‘Joy is the simplest form of gratitude’.  So, I choose to walk the path of life this year with joy – and a grateful heart.

Happy New Year

Sending wishes for a wonderful New Year that is filled with more blessings than you’ve ever had before!

Tomorrow I will share my word and Bible verse for this new year.  And – soon – an update on my dear, little mother.  Then, the announcement I was going to make early in December.  Please come by to visit again soon.

During this past year – and even before – you have been such a wonderful part of my life.  It’s hard to imagine what my days would be without you in them.  I love sharing our lives together.  Here’s to even more visits – online or in person – in two thousand fourteen!

The Next Step

Thank you for all of your sweet comments, your prayers and support for my dear, little mother and for me.  The last days have seemed like a blur in many ways but we have moved to the next step.  My dear mother stayed in the hospital for two days before she was transferred to a rehabilitation center in our home town.  She is just across town from our home and it is much more convenient than going to the hospital in the next town.  She is making progress very slowly. The transition from hospital to residential rehab care has not been without adjustments but I believe we are more settled in as each day passes.  I was amazed a couple of days ago to watch her walk a small distance using the parallel bars in the physical therapy gym.  Of course, she needs assistance and it is very slow and still quite painful.  She is from ‘pioneer stock’ and she has always been determined to do what she needs to do.  She’s a strong lady and the rehab staff believes she is doing well.  We don’t know what the future holds when she is ready to leave rehab – but we don’t need to know right now.

One thing that has become very real to me through this past week is the importance of every moment with those who are dear to us.  I treasure each time I can sit beside her and visit – or listen to her concerns – or laugh a bit when she shares something funny.  I’m not taking anything for granted these days.  Time is short when we look at the big picture of our days.  My heart is easily touched with things I may have passed by a few short days ago.

My mother still has her sense of humor.  When I arrived in her room this morning she couldn’t wait to tell me of a visitor she had last night.  Santa came to visit!  He leaned down next to her face and his elf took a picture of the two of them together!  Then he gave her a stocking filled with gifts.  She tried not to laugh too hard when she told me that he gave her a man’s stocking!  Her stocking was filled with sugar-free candy mints (which she likes), large man’s boot socks and an activity book that wouldn’t even challenge my six-year-old grandson!  When I held up the boot socks we decided she could probably put both of her tiny, size four feet into one sock!

My dear mother is getting good care.  The future is uncertain but we will do what we’ve been doing – we will continue to take one day at a time.  And we will delight in every moment we have.

A Bend In The Road

Sometimes, without warning, we come to a major bend in life’s road.  That is what has happened for us.  My dear, little mother fell and broke her pelvis last Saturday afternoon.  She is in the hospital for a few days for pain management and is beginning physical therapy.  Soon she will move to a residential rehabilitation facility where the goal will be to help her heal enough to return to her home.  That is the goal – there are no guarantees. It’s too soon to know how she will progress and what the outcome will be.  She is in good spirits and rests fairly free of pain – unless she moves her lower torso or legs.  The doctors tell us there is no danger of further injury as she begins to sit and stand and, eventually, walk again.  Putting pressure on the fracture will not make a difference to her health.  It will, however, be very painful for awhile.  The pain will gradually subside as the healing process continues.

I had ‘written’ several posts in my head about the Christmas season, decorating my home and all kinds of things.  I had a lot of plans.  My to-do lists were long.  The boxes of Christmas decorations are still in the attic, Thanksgiving decorations has not been put away and there are things that have been left undone because this bend in the road has taken me another direction.  Right now I’m not sure what decorating will get done or what plans will continue.  Life, for the moment, has been redirected.  I will check in occasionally to let you know how things are going.  Right now my days are spent with my dear mother and working with medical and rehabilitation staff to have everything in place for her care.  I appreciate your prayers for her – and for me.  Your love and support mean more than you know. 

We don’t know where the road will take us, but there is one thing we DO know – we are not alone.  We can sense God’s hand holding ours.  We don’t know the road ahead but He does and that’s what gives us courage to keep going.

Sometimes we come to life's crossroads
And we view what we think is the end.
But God has a much wider vision
And he knows that it's only a bend-

The road will go on and get smoother
And after we've stopped for a rest,
The path that lies hidden beyond us
Is often the path that is best.
Helen Steiner Rice

Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus

Song: ‘Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus’
Written by Charles Wesley, 1744