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Mom’s Improvement

Posted by eph21920 on August 20, 2016 in Answer, Doctor, Family, Healing, Hope, Sick

Today my mom felt a little bit stronger, a little more hungry, and was a little more awake and aware than yesterday. And yesterday was a little bit better than the day before. Even with the different issues that kept popping up, I do believe she has turned a corner. With all the monitoring and adjusting of medication, things seemed to have stabilized and even improved. The doctors say that the serious problems have been resolved. Now she needs to work on getting back her strength. Thanking God profusely.

I Found God today in my mom’s improvement.

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First Birthday

Posted by eph21920 on August 19, 2016 in Baby, Children, Family, Joy

Today is my granddaughter’s first birthday. She has brought – and continues to bring – so much joy to the family. Our side of the family waited for a little girl for a couple of generations as there have been only boys. Honestly, we didn’t think it was possible. Watching my son with his daughter is quite different than seeing his interaction with his sons. I think she has him wrapped around her finger already. Her mom loves having girl time with her. And her brothers are so sweet and attentive with her. I was so blessed to see her in person only a few days old, then again just over a week ago. Pictures and video chat are great, but they don’t compare to being in person. When they were visiting, we were elated that she took a few steps for the first time. She laughed and danced when my mom played the piano. At the hospital today, we connected via video chat and my dad, mom, and I all sang “Happy Birthday” to her. She chattered and waved and clapped and blew kisses and kissed the screen. She had on her first birthday tiara just in case anyone wondered who the princess is. It was the highlight of our day.

I Found God today in the joy that my granddaughter brings.

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Too Long in the Hospital

Posted by eph21920 on August 18, 2016 in Answer, Doctor, Eucharist, Family, Grateful, Hope, Prayer, Sick, Struggles, Trust

To be honest, it has been an incredibly stressful week. My mom has been in the hospital for 8 days now going on 9. She was admitted for dangerously low sodium and has been struggling. She is very weak and doesn’t have an appetite. While there are moments of clarity, her responses are typically slow and sometimes with slurred speech. Every day my dad and I go to the hospital and expect to see her feeling better. However, it seems just the opposite is true. Every day brings a new challenge – bowel issues, blood pressure too low then too high, testing for bacterial infection… Today when we arrived, she said she was feeling better so there was a ray of hope. Then she said she tried to take one large pill and it got stuck in her esophagus. That was a battle for the rest of the day. We have had to have tough conversations about where would be the best place for her to go once she is released. I have been having a difficult time writing this blog – part exhaustion, part trying to keep a good attitude, and then my computer was not cooperating. Last night as I prayed before bed and asked God to show me just where He is in all this, I became aware of all the things to be grateful for during this time. Here are a few:

Doctors who are trying hard to find answers and solutions while being as gentle as possible.

Nurses who patiently give so much personal care – especially time after time after time when that call button is pushed.

The social workers, therapists, and home care specialists who are helping to guide us for an after hospital care plan.

The woman and therapy dog who came in for a visit. The very large shaggy dog came over for my mom to pet him, then went over to my dad and put his head in his lap.

Eucharistic ministers who pray with and give Communion to my mom.

The funny little nurse who we had over the weekend and came to visit because she saw my mom was still in the hospital.

Friends who have helped to give some direction.

The other day, my dad sat in my mom’s chair and an old diary of hers basically jumped into his lap. He read it and said it was the sign he was looking for from God. He brought it to my mom to read and it seemed to encourage her.

The different questions, outlooks, and comforting words from siblings.

We were all grateful that the bacterial infection test came out negative.

Then, my computer started working all on it’s own.

These literally came flooding into my head along with even more. I believe I even said out loud, “OK, God . . . I get it.” He is still in control of what is happening. I am still praying for Him to be gentle on my mom and to help me to trust and to follow His path. I was grateful for the insight.

I Found God today as He revealed Himself to me in many ways.

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Hearing from Kids

Posted by eph21920 on August 17, 2016 in Children, Family, Sick

Today 3 out of my 4 siblings called at good times when my dad and I were at the hospital with my mom. It was great for my mom to hear their voices and have a little bit of a conversation. She enjoyed listening to their stories. I was so glad they called.

I Found God today as my mom heard from her kids.

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Veggie Soup

Posted by eph21920 on August 16, 2016 in Creation, Food

Last week my sister went to the grocery store and loaded up my parents refrigerator with tons of fresh veggies. As soon as she got everything put away, they ended up taking my mom to the hospital. Today after visiting my mom, I decided to save the veggies and made a giant pot of soup. It is hard eating hospital food for days and I was missing my vegetables, so I totally enjoyed cooking and eating the fresh soup.

I Found God today being able to cook and eat fresh food.

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Pope’s Mercy

Posted by eph21920 on August 15, 2016 in Humility, Mercy, Pope, Prayer

Today I heard a beautiful story about Pope Francis visiting women who were under the slavery of prostitution and now live in a safe house. He is an incredibly loving, humble, prayerful man who is such a model of how we are to treat others. I encourage you to read the story and see the touching video HERE:

I Found God today in Pope Francis’ example of love and mercy.

 

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Miracle of Life

Posted by eph21920 on August 14, 2016 in Creation, Family, Grateful, Life, Miracle

This morning my dad and I were about to get in the car to head to the hospital when we noticed some people walking in the driveway. It was the man who helped my dad when he fell last summer. He was walking with his wife and their grandchildren. He asked my dad how he was doing and my dad thanked him again for his help. Then he asked about my mom. We told him of her struggles and the most recent low sodium issue. We talked about what a delicate balance our bodies maintain. It is nothing less than a miracle that our body does what it needs for us to survive most of the time without us even thinking about it. I know that I often take for granted this fragile life and am trying to be more conscious about how I live each day.

I Found God today in a reminder of the amazing gift of life.

 

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Awesome Sister

Posted by eph21920 on August 13, 2016 in Doctor, Family, Grateful

I got home from my trip about dinner time last night. One of my sisters picked me up from the airport and we both went to the hospital where my mom has been since Wednesday. She has felt bad, then good, then bad for the past week or so. I was in constant communication with my sister who was staying with my parents while I was away. It was good to see my mom, dad, and sister in person. It was immediately evident that my mom was struggling and weak. But she was getting in and out of the bed and eating a little bit so I was somewhat encouraged. Her sodium level had dropped drastically, so it threw everything off. This had happened a couple of times in the past few weeks, so the medical people were running several tests to determine the cause.  Later that night, my sister, dad and I made our way home. It was good to sleep in my own bed, even though I was very confused as to what time zone I was in. This morning my sister and I went to the hospital early to see if we could meet with the doctor. Unfortunately, we were not there early enough, as she saw my mom at 5:30 in the morning. Crazy. In any case, we stopped and talked with the nurse who went right to the notes and explained an awful lot. The majority of the tests came out fine, though she does have some heart issues. They are introducing a new medication to help with the fluid and sodium balance. We were grateful for her time and explanation. My mom was feeling better today and we all hope this medication will have a positive effect. As I thought about my time away, I was first of all extremely grateful for my sister who stayed with my parents while I was gone. The timing of my mom’s problems were such that I was actually able to spend the time away and mostly enjoy it, even though I was still concerned about her. My sister tagged me back in this afternoon as she made her way home. I am sure she will get some good sleep tonight.

I Found God today in a patient, caring sister who took care of my parents while I enjoyed a break.

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Play Day

Posted by eph21920 on August 12, 2016 in Family, Friends, Fun

My son, his girlfriend, and I had one full day to spend together yesterday. It was a very hot day, so we found a museum to go to. This was a toy museum. Evidently my son had wanted to visit the place sometime and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. I wondered how much there would be for college age and above to do there but it sounded like fun. At the entrance, we visited the garden area before the heat was unbearable. It was full of beautiful flowers large and small, fruit trees, and vegetables. There were games to play throughout – hopscotch, ring toss, musical chimes, and a place to make a fairy house. Once inside the museum, we headed upstairs as there were fewer people going that direction. We rounded the corner and came upon a huge version of Nintendo Mario. It was big enough that there was a bench behind the controller. One person could control the direction and one could control the jumps as Mario was led through his world on the giant screen. I was surprised how much I remembered from when I played the game a very long time ago. That was only the beginning. There were displays of different types of toys and gaming showing their history. All throughout the museum there were toys and games to play with as well. We played assorted video games, puzzles, Jenga, light-up Connect 4, checkers, giant Battleship and Chess just to name a few. There was even a butterfly garden. About half way through our day we spotted my son’s roommate and joined them for more fun. We literally played all day long. I have had such a wonderful couple of weeks with friends and family. It was the perfect way to conclude the time.

I Found God today in the joy of playing.

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Next Stop

Posted by eph21920 on August 11, 2016 in Children, Connected, Family, Happiness, Humor, Life, Plan

Yesterday I said good-bye to and hugged my grandchildren, my son, and his wife and drove half the day to have a short visit with my other son before I head back home. After driving for a few hours in the rain, I was glad to see a break in the weather. I settled in for the rest of the drive and turned on the sirius xm radio. It was on the Contemporary Christian music station that I had been listening to during the week. The station seemed to be playing the same music over and over again and I quickly got bored. There was a commercial on for the Olympic channel, so I listened to that for a while. Then that started to repeat as well since there wasn’t anything on live at the time. At my next stop I searched a little and found a Catholic channel. Perfect. I could listen to some prayers or programs and keep my mind occupied for a few hours. A program came on that highlighted different positive stories and had quick interviews with different people. There was a man who volunteers at his local food pantry not by organizing, sorting, or stocking; but by telling jokes to the people as they wait in line. He said it certainly isn’t something people are expecting. Typically when people go looking for help, they set their pride aside and can feel like they are “less” than those around them. By making them laugh, the man helps to give them dignity and show them that they matter as much as anyone else. The host stressed that the man is using the gifts he has even though it looks different than one might expect. The next interview was with a woman who wrote a book about how to find your happiness. She talked about how what makes one person happy doesn’t necessarily make another happy. Makes sense as we are all different types of people. The host then quoted an older woman she knows who said that we need to make sure to move forward with God’s plan for us in the different seasons of our life. For example, God has a plan for us as a single person which is different for us as a married person, and then again different as an older person. That made sense too. I am always telling people that I have lived 4-5 different lives and thought I was crazy for that. I was happy that I found this station with such uplifting words to listen to. I was super excited when I made it safe to my destination and able to hug my son again.

I Found God today listening to uplifting words, having a safe trip, and hugging loved ones.

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