I got my mom a funny card for Mother’s Day. It had 5 little chicks in it – same number as her children – so it was perfect. I also got a funny one for my sister with a singing cat as she loves kitties. I figured the best thing I could give would be a little humor. Turns out I was right as it was a very challenging day. But my mom did laugh at seeing the little chicks sing and dance. For that I am grateful.
I Found God today in laughter.
Today we received some gorgeous flower arrangements from my brothers for Mother’s Day. Added to the roses we already had, it made for a beautiful display taking up half of the dining room table. Mom loved the view when she sat in her favorite spot at the head of the table. In the afternoon, my grandson and granddaughter came over. We planted flowers in the 3 outdoor pots. It was a lot of fun. We are excited to watch them grow. Now we have a little extra beauty coming in and going out as well as inside the house.
I Found God today in His beautiful flowers.
This morning I called the insurance company and spoke to them about the toilet incident. The claims adjuster was very informative and helpful. She contacted the restoration company, contacted an appraiser who contacted me, and walked me through the next steps. When the restoration company arrived, they already knew exactly what needed to be done for the insurance compnay and had their information. They ripped up several feet of carpet in my mom’s room and bathroom and cut a hole in the ceiling in the basement. They sanitized and left their drying machines running to finish the job. They wished us Happy Mother’s Day as they left. I contacted a plumber who was over in just a few hours to examine the toilet and made an adjustment on the flusher. He emailed a detailed invoice to share with the insurance company. Our friend who does flooring came over to see what had been done. He made his recommendations and is coordinating with even more people to complete the project. He was our first call yesterday and got things rolling for us. I am very grateful for all the helpful people who are making this big mess much easier to deal with. Today’s meditation in mom’s “Jesus Calling” book talked about how we should not run away from our difficulties, but thank God for them. These struggles help us to rely on God who knows how best to care for and love us. Thank you, God, for giving us so many caring, helpful people today.
I Found God today in many caring, helpful people.
This evening there was a caregiver here. After my mom woke from her nap, the caregiver brought her out to the kitchen with me as I finished dinner. Then she went back to my mom’s bathroom to clean things up. Suddenly I heard her yell for me. I went back there to see the toilet overflowing. She managed to get the water turned off while I found the plunger. We got it flowing again, but there was a disgusting pool on the bathroom floor that seeped out into the carpeted area. We threw some old towels in there to start sopping it up. Then I called my neighbor who let me use his shop vac to get the rest. In the meantime, my sister called a friend who does flooring. He knew people in the restoration business. They were over in an hour. They cleaned and sanitized and inspected and put machines in the bathroom. Unfortunately water did get into the subflooring underneath. The team will be back tomorrow to start ripping things apart and sanitizing even deeper. It was a disgusting mess and will be a pain to deal with for a few days. However, there is much to be grateful for. I am thankful that we know people who know people who were immediately helpful. I am grateful that the damage done is not interfering with my mom’s bedroom so she can sleep as comfortably as possible. I am really grateful for the bedside commode. I am grateful for helpful neighbors. I was most grateful to take a shower once everything was done.
I Found God today in help getting a messy problem taken care of.
I went to prayer group tonight and we got on the topic of the universe and creation. Specifically, how amazing it is when you see photos of the universe and the little tiny space that our Earth takes up. When you then think about each person on our planet, we are quite minute indeed. I commented that it makes me feel completely insignificant. One of the other ladies viewed it quite differently. She said that makes each one of us very special. God chose us to be alive, here, now. I liked her interpretation much better.
I Found God today pondering our unique existence.
As I have been sharing my mom’s birthday celebration with others and reflecting on the past few days, I find myself incredibly grateful. First and foremost, I am grateful that my mom was here this year to celebrate. When she entered into Hospice Care several months ago, I honestly didn’t think she would be. I am grateful for family who came and for the ability to connect with those who couldn’t come. I am grateful for neighbors and friends who took the time to visit or write thoughtful notes and cards. I am grateful for supportive and kind caregivers. I am grateful for the food that was provided. I am grateful for the fun and laughter. I am incredibly grateful for this love that has been shared by so many people and for God’s generous love who is at the heart of it all.
I Found God today being grateful for generous love.
Today my mom’s friend came over for a happy birthday visit. They hadn’t seen each other in weeks. Our friend took a fall a while back and fractured her hip. She had surgery and got right into home therapy. Thankfully it was not a bad break. She is a tough woman, so I wasn’t too surprised when she made a full recovery. I was, however, somewhat surprised when she drove herself over and walked in without a device. She did bring her cane – just in case. They had a nice visit with laughter and birthday cake. This visit wrapped up our ongoing celebration of mom’s birthday. It has been a whirlwind and I’m grateful for all the people, intentions, and love for my mom.
I Found God today in a visit from a friend.
I went to Mass this morning and brought home Holy Communion for my mom. Then our friend came by with her daughter and grandchildren. She cared for mom for quite a while until she was no longer able to and wanted to share birthday wishes with her. We missed her. We were introduced to the new baby boy who is just 3 months old and has the same name as my dad. He gave my mom a big smile when she chatted with him. We had met the toddler some time ago and now she’s walking and talking. It didn’t take her long to warm up to everyone and made herself at home. When my mom needed to go to the bathroom, she wanted to help out. We told her thank you, but she could go by herself. A little later, she wanted to climb into my mom’s lap in the wheelchair. My mom tried with all her might to pick her up, but she needed a little help. Once she got settled, she wanted to go for a ride. My sister obliged and took them for a ride around the house. There is just a certain joy and laughter that only little ones provide. My mom was delighted and so were we.
I Found God today in the joy of friendship and babies.
Today was the big family birthday party for my mom. Unfortunately, my younger sister has been sick, so she was unable to come. My other sister’s son called from California and chatted with my mom a bit, so that was nice. Mom got a gift from her sister in Wisconsin and loved the handwritten note that was included. The rest of us celebrated here at the house. We knew that going to a restaurant would be overwhelming, so we ordered food from mom’s favorite German restaurant. My daughter in law made a small stein for her with an outline of Germany and a heart. It was super cute. We even managed to sing Happy Birthday to her in German and did the chicken dance. Since it was Kentucky Derby day, we made some hats, chose our favorite horse and watched the most exciting 2 minutes in sports. It was also May the 4th so it seemed fitting to make some Star Wars snacks. Honestly, the day was quite overwhelming for my mom. My family was gracious to indulge me in my over planning of the day. But I had fun doing it and I think they had fun participating. Even with all the excitement, at one point my mom said that she thought my dad would have liked the party. I told her I thought he was right here celebrating along with us. It was a big day, but my Mom certainly had a lot of love showered upon her.
I Found God today continuing to celebrate my mom.
Today my travelling brother came to the house with his dog. They have been away for 6 months. They were both happy to see our mom and she was happy to see them. It was like they never left. He told us some tales of his travels. Also today, one of the caregivers came over and brought my mom a big bag of goodies with all her favorites, including board puzzles, colored pencils, coloring books, and a bright pink T-shirt. She also wrote a heartfelt card. It was so sweet. As difficult as it has been to get steady caregivers in, we are truly blessed with the people who help care for my mom.
I Found God today in my brother and a thoughtful caregiver.
Still Finding God 