Grateful

Welcomed Change of Pace

It has been pretty hectic around here. Therapists and nurses have been coming over 4-5 days a week. My parents have had several extremely restless nights. Yesterday, the last therapist came over to discharge my dad from the program. Last night, my parents slept like they haven’t for years and got up late. It was […]

Spider Bite

My sister has been feeling just terrible for over a week now. It all started when she discovered a spider bite that appeared to be infected. She made a trip to the hospital where they took care of it, took some tests, and gave her antibiotics. Two days later she came down with a high […]

Contemplating Lent

It has been a long while since I have been with my prayer group, but I was able to go tonight. It was wonderful to be with faithful friends and to know they have been praying for me and my family. We read the scripture about Jesus being tempted in the desert and discussed the […]

Rejuvenating

Today I had a chance to take a few hours away from the house. I started at the YMCA and swam a few laps, then enjoyed some time in the hot tub. I had not seen any friends for many weeks now, so I had lunch with one and met another to take a walk […]

Rescuing Each Other

Tonight my family was talking about the time I fell into a lake. My mom’s parents owned a cottage on a lake in Wisconsin. We would visit from time to time and always loved going out on the dock to see what we could see. One time, when I was about 4 years old, I […]

Hugging Again

My daughter in law had surgery last week, but has been recovering well. The operation was in her abdomen so she has had to be very careful not to do anything to irritate the incision. We chatted tonight and she said she was bored, but feeling pretty good. She said the best part was that […]

Counting Blessings

This morning, I read a quote that stuck with me through the day, “In a society that has you counting money, pounds, calories, and steps, be a rebel and count your blessings instead.” Lisa Heckman In the afternoon, I was able to go to a caregiver’s support group. The people there lived this statement. Although […]

Pretty Lucky

Today I did more reading and research about stroke recovery. I weeded through all the material to find information that was specific to my dad’s symptoms. As I did so, I realized again just how lucky he is. A stroke can leave a person so incapacitated. Though my dad is struggling through, I’m incredibly grateful […]

Ditched the Walker

My dad was prepared to question the physical therapist when he arrived this morning. He wondered when he would be back to “normal”. The therapist asked what he meant by that. Specifically, my dad was asking how long he would have to use the walker. The therapist helped my dad use a cane the last […]

Blue Roses

The other day, my nephew contacted me to verify our mailing address and to check what my dad’s favorite color is. Today we found out why. He and his girlfriend sent my dad a gorgeous bouquet of deep blue roses with a lovely note included. None of us had ever seen anything like it. My […]