Leave a comment

Grateful Dad

Posted by eph21920 on March 18, 2016 in Family, Grateful, Healing

I spent the day today “hovering” over my dad as I wouldn’t let him walk around at all without me beside him. The good news is that his world is no longer spinning. He felt somewhat dizzy and weak from too many days with no food. But I could even see improvement from morning to night. We talked about the happenings of the past few days as he did not remember much. He did know that he got excellent care from the nurses in the hospital and wanted to send them a thank you note, or flowers, or chocolates. I thought that was really sweet.

I Found God today in my recovering and grateful dad.

Permalink
4 Comments

Down, But Not Out

Posted by eph21920 on March 17, 2016 in Doctor, Family, Grateful, Sick

After taking my dad to the Emergency Room for severe dizziness, the doctor sent us home with some heavy medication. The doctor did warn us of it’s potency, but the hope was to help calm things down. I gave my dad one pill the next morning. He slept for a couple of hours and was still extremely dizzy when he woke up and talked of some interesting dreams he was having. He tried to eat a little, but was nauseous and it didn’t stay down. I did my best to keep some fluids in him. After a while, he was ready for another pill. I was hesitant, but it was time to be able to take another one, and he was really struggling and looking for some kind of relief. I gave him another dose. Back to sleep he went. After a couple of hours, it was time for his regular medication. My mom and I tried to wake him up, but although he would respond somewhat, he could not stay awake and had no desire to. I called his primary care on call nurse who said to get him back to the hospital. I had to make another call to 911 as there was no way my mom and I were going to get him in the car. When they arrived, my dad asked if they were real or a dream. He would wake a few seconds, say silly things, and then be out again. Needless to say, we went back to the hospital where he was admitted and slept another entire day away. I was so glad he was there getting the fluids and care he needed. He called bright and early this morning to let me know that they had moved him to a new room. Although he sounded tired, he also sounded more coherent. My mom and I made our way to the hospital after breakfast and were surprised and delighted to see him more awake, alert, and getting out of bed with help from the nurse. He hadn’t been upright in 4 days. He was still tired, a little frustrated, and wanted to go home. The head doctor said that all the tests they had run did not show anything major wrong such as a stroke. The diagnosis was still vertigo – an issue with the inner ear. The physical therapist and occupational therapist came in and worked with him a bit. They did a dizzy maneuver on him that sent him into a spin, but seemed to really do some good. He walked around quite a bit and even went up and down some stairs. He was released from the hospital this afternoon and we were all happy to have him home. He seems to being doing pretty good now – weak from not eating, but his dizziness has subsided. I am so grateful for being on the recovery end of another episode.

I Found God today in amazing things that medical professionals can do to correct problems and grateful that my dad is home to recover.

Permalink
Leave a comment

Oh No, Vertigo

Posted by eph21920 on March 16, 2016 in Connected, Family, Grateful

The other day my dad woke up early in the morning very dizzy. We did what we could to help him get through it and made him an appointment with his doctor. Unfortunately, he got so dizzy and nauseous that he couldn’t even get up from a lying position, much less make it out to the car. So, we ended up calling 911. The wonderful – as usual – EMT’s came and after they assessed the situation, we chatted while we awaited the ambulance. We have had them come more times than I would like. I recognized one gentleman in particular and commented that I thought he had been to the house before. He agreed and it didn’t take long to figure out that he was one who came when my mother had a stroke. He had called the hospital and gave them a stroke alert so when my mother arrived, they were fully prepared for her. That resulted in a speedy diagnosis, administering the “miracle medication”, and my mom’s amazing recovery. I was glad to take the opportunity to thank him for his response and work. As for my dad, once in the over packed Emergency Room, they did lots of tests which were inconclusive, and diagnosed him with Vertigo. I have had that severe dizziness before and could sympathize with his agony. They sent us home with heavy medication to try to calm things down. I was glad to only have spent a few hours in the hospital and have a non life threatening diagnosis.

I Found God today in being able to re-connect with one of the men who were instrumental in helping my mom and in a somewhat favorable diagnosis for my dad.

Permalink
Leave a comment

Making Candy

Posted by eph21920 on March 13, 2016 in Family, Food, Laughter

A couple of years ago, a friend and I spent an evening making Easter candy out of chocolate melts. She also taught me how to make a homemade version of Cadbury Eggs. They were fun to make and delicious to eat. Last year I missed doing anything like that. This year I decided I wanted to give it a try. I live far from that friend now, but we spent a lot of time this week talking and texting about recipes and the best way to go about making the candy. I invited my sisters to come for the day and found out that one of them had some candy molds with bunnies, chicks, and crosses. I had a good time purchasing the rest of the supplies and ingredients. Although I could not find the exact recipe that my friend used for the Cadbury Eggs – and neither could she – I did find one that looked pretty close. Yesterday I mixed up the sticky white filling and colored some yellow. My mom rolled the yellow pieces into balls to make the “yolk” and I covered it with the white. Those got placed in some partially filled egg molds, then melted chocolate was poured over the top. We tried one after they had hardened and it was yummy. My sisters came over last night and we got an early start on the candy this morning. We caught up on the latest happenings as we painted the details in the molds with pastel blue, pink, and yellow melted candy. One of my sisters is an artist, so her’s were particularly impressive. We had so much fun trying different techniques, chatting, and laughing. I love it when we are together. We made quite a bit of candy to sent out in care packages to family members who we won’t see for Easter.

I Found God today being with my sisters and having a creative and fun day.

Permalink
Leave a comment

Singing Voice

Posted by eph21920 on March 12, 2016 in Family, Grateful, Happiness, Music

My mom, dad, and I went to church this evening instead of tomorrow. It will be helpful for us especially with the time change. We sat in the “usual” spot. A woman and her son always sit a few rows back. The young man struggles with some type of mental disability and his mom kept him talking until the service began. As soon as the opening song started, she joined in with her strong and beautiful singing voice. This was the first time I heard the boy singing as well. Then I heard another lovely voice. It was my mom. With her Parkinson’s, it is difficult for her to speak loudly, much less actually sing. What makes it more burdensome is the fact that she used to sing in competitions and in choirs. I wondered if she felt she was in a competition with the woman a few rows back. Tonight I asked her how she found God today. She said that she was able to sing at church and wondered if I had noticed. I said I definitely did. She was so happy that her voice was even placed correctly. It was great to hear her and to see her so happy with her ability.

I Found God today in my mom’s happiness and being able to hear her sing.

Permalink
Leave a comment

Old Legs

Posted by eph21920 on March 11, 2016 in Children, Connected, Death, Eternity, Faith, Humor

This morning I went to a physical therapy session where the therapist pushed on my lower back as we continue trying to resolve my hip issue. It was pretty darn painful at the time. I had some errands to run and shopping to do after I was done. I arrived at one store and got out of the car. A woman and small boy were also getting out of their car not too far from me. The little boy said that his legs were getting old. The woman said, “You’re legs are getting old? That’s too bad since you are only 6!” I chuckled. The boy went on to explain why his legs were tired. Evidently, that meant they were getting old. I thought about what a long life this child has ahead of him – God willing. I thought about my own legs that I feel really are getting pretty old. I thought about my parents and especially how my mother struggles every single day. I am sure she thinks her whole body has gotten very old. This led me to think about our lives in general and how our bodies make up only a part of who we are. We can put them through quite a lot and they will go on best as they can. But I thank God for giving me the faith to know that there is so much more. We also have a soul that is made for eternity – and for God. And when this body cannot go any more, I look forward to being with Him.

I Found God today in a boy’s funny comment that led to a reminder that we are more than just our body.

Permalink
Leave a comment

An Inspirational Message

Posted by eph21920 on March 10, 2016 in Faith, Friends, Prayer

As I was going about my day today, I got an inspiring text out of the blue from a friend. It read, “Happy moments, praise God. Difficult moments, seek God. Quiet moments, worship God. Painful moments, trust God. Every moment, thank God.” I did thank God for this beautiful woman and the message she shared.

I Found God today in an inspirational message.

Permalink
Leave a comment

Manning Tribute 2

Posted by eph21920 on March 9, 2016 in Answer, Children, Family, Music

Yesterday after I wrote my blog, I watched the original video of the song “I Lived” by OneRepublic. This was the song that my grandson used in making his Peyton Manning tribute video. The video is a very powerful story of a teenage boy with Cystic Fibrosis. You can see the video here. Since it was late, I emailed my grandson and asked how he chose the song. This morning I received a very detailed answer. While he had never watched the video before (I sent him the link so he could see it), he had the song in his head. He said as he watched Peyton Manning’s retirement speech, he understood just how much Manning loved the game of football. Then, as he listened to the words of the song, he thought about where the different video clips would fit in best – the old, the new, victories, and struggles. He didn’t just put some videos to a song, he thought about how Peyton must have felt during different points in his career – in his life. He matched that with the words to the song. I was even more impressed after reading the explanation.

I Found God today in the empathetic heart of my grandson.

Permalink
Leave a comment

Manning Tribute

Posted by eph21920 on March 8, 2016 in Children, Family, Movie, Music

I chatted with my just barely a teenager grandson this afternoon via text on his own phone. It was great fun talking with him independently from his parents. He is a Broncos fan, even though he lives in the Northeast. Well, he doesn’t really have much choice as his dad is a Broncos fan. I asked him what he thought about Peyton Manning’s retirement. He said he was working on making a video tribute to him. He is really good at putting together videos. He has actually been doing still frame animation for years already. Once the video was completed, he uploaded it to the internet and sent me the link. The video is set to the song, “I Lived” by OneRepublic. Like any good tribute, it shows clips of Manning in various settings. The ending includes lists of records that the quarterback set during his career and my grandson’s own words of heartfelt appreciation. I was impressed not only by the video itself, but by the sincerity and thoughtfulness that went into the project.

I Found God today in the talent and heart of my grandson.

Permalink
Leave a comment

Response From Beyond

Posted by eph21920 on March 7, 2016 in Answer, Connected, Death, Grief

Today I read a story about a young police officer cadet who was unfortunately killed in the line of duty. The grief stricken mother continued to send text messages to his phone number, especially when she was having a difficult time. One day, after pouring out her heart in one of the texts, she received a response. Someone else was given the son’s phone number after a period of time and was getting the texts. At first, he ignored them. But after the heartfelt message, he responded that he was receiving them. He was a police officer in the same state, but a different city. The mother told him the story of her son. The officer offered to change the number, but the mom asked him not to if it was ok to text now and again. They continue to stay in touch. They feel that there is a special angel who connected them and is watching over them. Here is the full story:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/humankind/2015/11/20/mom-texts-dead-son-cope-grief-gets-text-back/76097532/

I Found God today in a story of a how a grieving mother and police officer got connected.

Permalink