Family

Made it to Mass

When my mom woke up this morning, she was not feeling very good at all. Her eyes were dry and painful and she could barely open them. She didn’t sleep very well and was very tired. After she took her pills, I put some eye drops in and she laid down with a warm moist […]

Found the Rocks

I had a couple of available hours this afternoon, so my son and I went on a little hike. I wanted to try a place that was close, but somewhere that I hadn’t been. Online I found what looked like a great option and saw photos of some pretty interesting rock formations. We set off […]

Ordinary Miracles

My mom and I were looking for a nice movie to watch tonight and came across “Charlotte’s Web”. I loved the book as a child and read it over and over again, so we watched it. The movie was cute with the talking animals and kept close to the story I remembered when I was […]

Well Timed Call

There were some concerns after my dad’s hospitalization and more tests to be done. I thought it would be a good idea to start praying a novena to Our Lady of Lourdes. My parents and I prayed the first one this morning after breakfast. My mom had a bottle of holy water from Lourdes, so […]

Bits of Calm

My dad was scheduled to have a procedure done this morning. However, he was feeling pretty bad yesterday and we ended up in the Emergency Room. They ran several tests and he was admitted for observation. The plan was to still have the procedure done today. I arrived early to the hospital while my sister […]

Joy of Children

My mom called her sister tonight and they exchanged stories of their holiday celebrations. My aunt hosted 19 people for Christmas. Among them was a 2-year old. She said it had been a long time since there was a little one around. The toddler stole the show and was the center of attention. She said […]

No Fanfare Here

Today I read a paragraph from my favorite artist Matt Maher. He wrote in part: “600,000 rivets in the Golden Gate Bridge. None of them are praised for what they do but they’re important. On their own they’re not much. But united, they’re part of a wonder of the world. More than ever we need […]

Growing Family Relationships

My nephew came for a visit today as he was able to take some leave time from the Navy. Of course it was great to see him looking happy and healthy. Mostly I enjoyed watching his interaction with my son. They grew up for years like brothers and as they grow into young adults, their […]

Reflecting on 2018

It being New Years Eve, everyone was reflecting on the past year – the good and the bad. As I think about this past year, we have been very blessed that my parents have made it through again without a hospitalization. There have been medical issues, of course, but nothing extreme. I am finding peace […]

Returning Care

This morning, my parents and I were remembering how sick I was as a child. I was diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis when I was only 4 years old. From that time on, my joints stiffened, muscles weakened, and pain increased. I was unable to wash or comb my hair, button a button, or open […]