Friends

Sharing a New Road

Today I met a friend for lunch. Her husband had Parkinson’s disease and passed away not quite a year ago. For several years, we walked the caregiving road together. While our experiences were different, we understood the struggles of caring for a loved one to the end. Now, I guess we’re traveling the grief journey […]

Worldwide Prayers

My neighbor has been very ill for several weeks. She was home for a while, but her husband took her back to the hospital a couple of days ago. He said they were afraid that she might have a blood infection – sepsis. I knew that would be a very serious diagnosis. I woke very […]

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. […]

The Funeral

I have taken a little break from writing, but not from praying and pondering. As I think about the events during the last few weeks, I am grateful to realize God’s hand and love through it all. When my father died, my mom chose everything for his funeral, from the visitation through to the burial […]

Blessed Connection

I was delighted to talk with a far away friend today. She and her family have been on mind and I pray for them often. Her husband passed away almost a year ago now, which was hard to believe. While our situations are different, the pain of suffering the loss of a loved is the […]

Reminded of God’s Love

I met with my Stephen Minister this evening. She listens to whatever I have to say, is non-judgmental, and helps me to see things from a different perspective. What I appreciate the most is the ability to talk about faith. Whether I feel like I’m in a good place, frustrated, hopeful, peaceful, anxious, or even […]

New Garden

A little while ago, a friend of mine suggested a new activity for my mom. It was a flower garden kit. I found the kit in the toy section at Walmart and picked it up today. It consisted of a bucket full of plastic stems and leaves, flowers, and accessories, and base pieces. We sat at […]

Plumbing Mishap

This evening there was a caregiver here. After my mom woke from her nap, the caregiver brought her out to the kitchen with me as I finished dinner. Then she went back to my mom’s bathroom to clean things up. Suddenly I heard her yell for me. I went back there to see the toilet […]

Incredibly Grateful

As I have been sharing my mom’s birthday celebration with others and reflecting on the past few days, I find myself incredibly grateful. First and foremost, I am grateful that my mom was here this year to celebrate. When she entered into Hospice Care several months ago, I honestly didn’t think she would be. I […]

Birthday Celebration 5

Today my mom’s friend came over for a happy birthday visit. They hadn’t seen each other in weeks. Our friend took a fall a while back and fractured her hip. She had surgery and got right into home therapy. Thankfully it was not a bad break. She is a tough woman, so I wasn’t too […]