Answer
Familiar Words
A few months ago, my mom’s friend’s son-in-law died. I had scheduled a Mass to be offered for his soul. It was today. I met our friend there and we prayed together. I recognized the Gospel reading: Mt 11:28-30Jesus said:“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. […]
Do Not Be Afraid
I have been thinking about what my future is going to look like. I had somewhat thought about what I may want to do after my parents died, and where I might want to be. But now it’s here and it is a big unknown. I listened to the Gospel reading and reflection for Mass […]
Life Not Death
At church today, the first reading was from the book of Wisdom. The first sentence was, “God did not make death, nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living.” That hit my heart immediately. The Gospel reading was about a woman who was ill for many years. She touched Jesus’ cloak and was […]
God’s Words
My sister and I went to Mass this morning and the scripture readings were so meaningful – as well as the hymns. The theme was that God is with us through all the storms in our lives. After Mass, there was a reception for the beloved priest who came to our house several times and […]
Graceful
Yesterday as we talked with nurses and caregivers about my mother, my brother used the word “graceful” to describe her. When I sat with her this morning, her items on the nightstand caught my eye. They included her reading glasses, her St. Padre Pio prayer book, and a prayer card with her name on it. […]
The Rocking Chair
This morning as I sat with my mom, I was rocking in the rocking chair. It suddenly occurred to me that it was the same chair that my mom rocked me and my siblings in when we were babies and beyond. My mom was in this chair at the beginning of our lives and I […]
Quality Caregivers
We have struggled for months to get quality, caring, committed caregivers in the house to help care for my mom. Especially as her needs change and she continues to decline, this becomes harder and harder. It makes me hesitant to try new people, but it is necessary as I become more exhausted. Recently we hired […]
Carrying Her Cross
This morning my mom wasn’t feeling very well at all. She surprised me by saying she felt like she was carrying her cross. I agreed. We talked about how everyone has their cross to carry as they make their way home to God. When I got in the car to go to church, I heard […]
Don’t Beat Yourself Up
Due to our lack of sleep, we decided to hire overnight caregivers. The first one came a couple nights ago. At the same time, we discovered that my mom was in tremendous pain. We did everything we knew to do, but it didn’t seem to make any difference. I called the Hospice company who sent […]
Aqua Net
This morning the hospice nurse and CNA were here at the same time. We got on the topic of hair care. The CNA said her grandmother’s hair was and still is very thick. She asked her how she managed to keep her beehive hairdos and such in place when she was younger. Her grandmother replied […]
Still Finding God 