Grateful
Bird Conversations
I was blessed to get my mom outside for quite a while this morning. It was the perfect temperature for her – 80 degrees in the shade. She didn’t even have to wear a sweater or jacket. We admired the blooming flowers, especially the neighbor’s peonies that just started popping open. There was a lot […]
Communication
The first caregiver that we hired about a year ago still comes over 2 days a week. She has been such a hard worker, very reliable, and a calm presence. She is also Japanese and has difficulty hearing. Her accent is very strong and I wasn’t sure at first how she and my mom would […]
Utmost Patience
My mom was somewhat agitated today which ramped up in the afternoon as usual. However, she was more unsettled than normal. She was up and down and in and out of bed instead of napping. She was so tired, but would only lay down for a couple minutes before getting up. Luckily, one of our […]
Made the Time
Over the last week, my mom has been asking for a priest so she can go to Confession. It was somewhat of a surprise as unfortunately she is super confused most of the time. But this was a request that she made for several days. I called the woman at our parish who coordinates such […]
Library Day
The other day I found out that the library’s summer reading program started today. My granddaughter is a fantastic reader, so I asked if she wanted to participate. She said she did. I was happy that it worked out so I could take her this afternoon. When we arrived at the children’s area, it was […]
Going Out to Make Disciples
I made it to church this morning after missing 2 weeks. When I walked in, I saw a friend who is a deacon, so we chatted a bit. As we did, a sweet little old man was talking to the priest and told him today was his 100th birthday. There was another deacon there who […]
Checking the Garden
My mom was moving pretty well this morning, so I thought it was a good opportunity to try to get her outside. My brother helped to get her and the wheelchair down the 3 steps into the garage. She did pretty good. From there, we took a slow, meandering tour of the garden with all […]
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 […]
Patiently Occupied
Last night I took my turn to “sleep” in mom’s room with her. She has been having bathroom problems which makes it even more challenging. I won’t get into details, but in the middle of the night I stripped her bed, washed her bedding, and gave her a shower. At the beginning of all the […]
Heartfelt Hug
This afternoon one of our wonderful caregivers was here. She was sitting with my mom at the table doing a puzzle. Typically my mom seems to take a nosedive in the afternoon. Perhaps “sundowning”. She gets more agitated and emotional for no apparent reason. As they were working on the puzzle and chatting, my mom […]
