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More Empowered

Posted by eph21920 on November 18, 2016 in Family, Grateful, Knowledge

Today I went to the Parkinson’s Caregiver group. I’m learning so much about this disease that I wish I knew before. But it is helping me to feel a little more empowered about helping my mom where she is right now. One thing I learned is how the timing of when she takes the medication in relation to when she eats a good amount of protein affects the way the medicine is absorbed. Recently I noticed her tremors becoming more noticeable. A couple of days ago, we changed the time that she was taking one of the pills. There was a marked improvement in her symptoms and in how she felt. Usually by bedtime, she can’t wait to crawl into bed. Tonight she even said she felt more awake than she has in a very long time. I am grateful for what I am learning and for the support I am finding.

I Found God today in learning and implementing a change to improve my mom’s well being.

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Pushed by an Angel

Posted by eph21920 on November 17, 2016 in Angel, Baby, Children, Faith

Yesterday I saw a video of a little boy who caught his baby brother when he fell off the changing table. The mom had turned away for a moment and the 18 month old baby wiggled to the edge of the table and tumbled over. His 9 year old brother just happened to be walking by the room, saw what was happening, ran over, and caught the baby before he hit the floor. The little boy said he felt that an angel pushed him because he can’t run that fast and his brother is so heavy that he can’t hardly pick up the 30 pound toddler. The boy was on the news today talking about the incident. It was so heartwarming and uplifting. The mom said she posted the video because there is so much upheaval going on right now. She wanted people to see something miraculous. You can see the whole story and video here.

I Found God today in an amazing story of a boy saving his brother and acknowledging that he could not have done it on his own.

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The Neighbors Return

Posted by eph21920 on November 16, 2016 in Doctor, Faith, Friends, Grateful, Healing, Life, Sick, Struggles

We haven’t seen our neighbors for months. The couple purchased the condo next to us about a year ago and had some loose ends to tie up in their previous residence many states away. They were back and forth for a while and were supposed to move in to stay here a few months ago. The next thing I heard was that the husband had to have immediate open heart surgery. He had a few minor complications and was finally able to make the trip this week. They arrived this afternoon. We were happy to see them and talk with them about their journey. The husband was in good spirits and told us that he was making the final rounds of doctors appointments before he left. He saw his cardiologist who did some tests and found that his aortic valve was not functioning properly. Surgery was absolutely necessary. When they did the surgery, the doctors found that his heart had more damage than what was initially shown on the tests. They had to replace the valve and part of the aorta itself. He said that is was truly a blessing as he did not have any symptoms at all. The doctors said that the stress of moving across the country would have likely resulted in a massive heart attack and possibly death. He was truly grateful that he had the opportunity to make his way to the new home and enjoy the next phase of life. He said the valve that was replaced was from a cow and joked that when he gets up in the morning, he moos just a little. His grateful, positive, hope filled outlook was very encouraging.

I Found God today in a grateful man with an encouraging story to share.

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Seeing Santa

Posted by eph21920 on November 15, 2016 in Answer, Children, Happiness

I am always encouraged when I go to the caregivers support group. I learn a lot and am able to look at things in a different way. One of the girls is taking care of her mother who has dementia and recently was also diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. The mom wanted to visit her grandchildren, so the daughter made arrangements to go for a visit. Unfortunately, there is tension in the family and the trip was cancelled last minute by those they were to visit. The mom kept talking about going to visit the kids and the daughter didn’t want her to be disappointed, so she knew she had to do something. She thought about where to go so her mom could see some kids. She remembered she heard that Santa had arrived at the mall, so that’s where they headed. Her mom met Santa, they took some pictures, and the helpers made her the queen of the elves for the day. They spent over half an hour there and her mom gave Santa a kiss before they left. Later they baked and were going to decorate cookies. The daughter said that her mom had a great weekend and didn’t seem to be upset by the fact that she wasn’t able to see her grandchildren. The rest of the support group told the daughter what a creative and thoughtful idea she had.

I Found God today in a caring, thoughtful woman.

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Familiar Faces

Posted by eph21920 on November 14, 2016 in Connected, Friends, Grateful, Knowledge, Struggles

The other day my mom, sister, and I went to a Parkinson’s support group. This is the 2nd time we have gone. The speaker was a therapist that worked with my mom at the beginning of this year. I knew she was good, but I didn’t realize how dedicated she was to helping those with Parkinson’s. She recently attended a Parkinson’s Disease convention and shared what she learned. Most people in the room seemed to have worked with her or been in one of her classes. She said she loves helping people do more than they think they can and live to the best of their ability. The 2 times we have gone, we have gained so much knowledge. It has been wonderful and a little overwhelming. We met the people at our table and enjoyed getting to know them. This disease does show itself in different ways in different people. As my mom looked around, she spotted someone she thought she knew who sang in the church choir about 20 years ago when my mom was the organist. My mom has an amazing memory. She went on over to her and sure enough, it was the woman. She also has Parkinson’s. They talked for a long time and were so glad to get reunited. At the end of the meeting, we talked with the therapist and made plans to get my mom back in to work with her. It is so uplifting and empowering for my mom to get connected with others and to learn more about how she can better help herself navigate through this disease. It is also incredibly helpful for me as I try to do my best in caring for her.

I Found God today as I learned more about my mom’s disease and seeing her reconnect with familiar faces.

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Still Celebrating

Posted by eph21920 on November 13, 2016 in Birthday, Connected, Food, Friends

This morning I got a phone call from my son in college. When I answered, I heard many voices singing happy birthday to me, since it is my birthday. I said thank you to everyone there and asked who exactly was there? My son directs one of the groups that leads music for church and it was the whole group that was singing. That was really nice and unexpected! We talked for a while and after we hung up, I saw a text from my other son. He texted the words to the song happy birthday and sent it at the same time. That was pretty funny. My sister was here and cooked again pretty much all day. A friend took my mom to the symphony this afternoon. When they returned, she stayed for dinner and we had cake – again! Later we called my aunt who I share my birthday with. She always puts a smile on my face. All in all, it was a great birthday weekend.

I Found God today celebrating another birthday.

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A Party

Posted by eph21920 on November 12, 2016 in Family, Food, Fun, Grateful, Life

My sisters came over today and threw me a little birthday party. They brought balloons and decorations and cards and a beautiful large plant. One sister made my favorite cake -homemade chocolate with buttercream frosting. The other made dinner – taco salad, another favorite. I actually sat down and doodled while she was cooking. It felt strange, but I made myself relax a bit. We always laugh a lot when we get together, which is one of the best things about it. Laughter relieves some of the anxieties of daily life and boosts the spirit. I had such a great day. And I am so grateful for my sisters and that they live close.

I Found God today enjoying a party from my family.

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Housing a Veteran

Posted by eph21920 on November 11, 2016 in Answer, Grateful

Today on Veterans Day, there were many ways that our military were honored. I had the Steve Harvey show on as the whole show was dedicated to those in the military and veterans. I have heard for too many years how difficult it is for those previously in the military to find jobs and make a living. Steve Harvey had on a woman with just that problem. She had been out of the military for 2 years, had a little girl, and was homeless. She was just struggling and unable to make ends meet. Of course, Steve Harvey had the means and ways to change her life. She was offered a job which she graciously accepted. She was offered an apartment that was paid for 1 year and the owners said that after the year, they would negotiate a price that she would be able to afford. They fully decorated the place so she wouldn’t have to try to to furnish the home. Needless to say, she was incredibly grateful and cried at every turn. So did I. I remember when they cleared out a homeless camp here in the city, they interviewed some of those who were displaced. Several were veterans. It is heartbreaking to think of the service they have done in helping to keep us safe and how difficult their lives have been. Yet so many continue to struggle. Surely if others who had the means would help out just one veteran, it would make a big impact on them and help get people off the streets. For my part, I can donate to the DAV, vote in a way that is helpful to them, respect and be gracious to those in the military, and pray for them.

I Found God today in a national desire to assist and take care of those in the military.

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Christmas Cactus Bloom

Posted by eph21920 on November 10, 2016 in Family, Happiness, Life

My sister has a beautiful gigantic Christmas cactus. She grew it from cuttings off a plant my mom had about 40 years ago. My mom read in a magazine about a cactus that had been passed down through family members for a couple hundred years. We thought that was amazing. A few months ago, my sister cut hers back and had dozens of leaves to start new plants with. We sent some to my daughter-in-law and to my mom’s friend. Then my mom and I planted some ourselves. I had a few cuttings in tiny pots in my window. Evidently it was the right thing to do. Each little plant now has buds on it and one has a beautiful pink flower hanging on the end. My mom and sisters raved at what a green thumb I have. I am not really that good with plants – typically I am lucky if they survive at all. I took a close up picture of the flower and sent it to my dad who made a couple of large prints. They turned out just beautiful. So – I managed to grow a gorgeous flowering plant and took an amazing photo that was print-worthy. That made me happy.

I Found God today in a flowering plant that I grew.

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Come Together

Posted by eph21920 on November 9, 2016 in Answer, Connected, Love

Well, the election is over. The vote was so close and the nation was just about split in half. There were a lot of people very upset over the outcome. But, there was an overriding tone of the day that was about unity – bringing people together. President Elect Trump talked about just that when he gave his acceptance speech. Secretary Clinton did too when she gave her concession speech. It was the focus of President Obama’s remarks. As I was flipping through channels, I came across the Ellen DeGeneres show (which had been recorded yesterday) and something she said stuck with me, “I believe we can all come together because if you take away the labels, you realize we’re far more alike than we are different.” I thought about how true this is and I think a big part of the problems we have is because of the language we use to identify others. I thought of a quote from Saint Mother Teresa, “If you judge people, you have no time to love them.” So many friends on social media were talking about how it really is up to each one of us to be the change we want to see. Each of us individually must treat every person with the love and respect they deserve. One last thought from my mom – if everyone was just nice to each other, everyone would be happy.

I Found God today in hopeful words in a tumultuous day.

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