A BUSY WEEK-END

I just had to add these new pictures of "Woody". He is a constant entertainment for us. He really is a funny fellow.

On Friday mom's brother and wife arrived at Harrisonburg and came out to see us. It is always great to see Uncle Harold and Aunt Irene. Mom sure looked forward to the visit. On Sat. morning we met them along with my cousin Beth and her husband Keith (who were her celebrating their oldest son's graduation from college) at IHOP. It really was a lot of fun to be together. I noticed mom was having a hard time eating but she got her pancaked down finally. She enjoyed it so much but instead of more of a ride she asked to come straight home. When she could hardly walk up the ramp and had to sit and rest I was concerned. I knew the two days added excitement and it also was hot.....but soon I knew there could be trouble. She had several bad accidents and than told me she could not urinate. She barely made it back to bed so I called home health care and they said take her to ER. Mom is very proper but told me she did not care to dress again and would have to go in her gown. They took her right in and found she had acute dehydration and gave her an IV and a good dose of Imodium. We brought her home in 3 hours.

The accidents continued through the night and Sunday AM but finally enough Imodium took care of that. She was so weak she stayed in bed all day. But I am at my wits end....I cannot get her to drink. I am doing good to get in 12-16 ounces a day.....She was hard to deal with all day.

I hoped today she would be clearer but she was a mess in her emotions this morning and I almost lost my patience but stayed calm on the outside......I had to go and get my meds in town and so I enjoyed the ride in the beautiful valley here to adjust my emotions. Driving and praising God as I drive helps and than on the way home I talked to Crystal and Nicole and that always is a shot in the arm for me.

The home heath nurse came soon after I came home and gave mom a good talking to but she had to call the doctor because moms heat rate is only 47....so I am waiting for a call back about that. I did get some Gatorade in her and 1/2 of a homemade sub and some jello. But she is back to sleeping and is really weak.

I am having a hard time going back over things again and again.....where she will be buried, how much that will cost, how she wants to go and be with daddy and all the things I have done wrong in the past. I know part of this is the dementia and some is just mom. I refuse to allow her bitterness to ruin my days......I just wish she would change gears for a bit. So prayer for me is needed.

John is frustrated about the job search and so that adds to the stress level for me. I know God is in control but I sure wish he would move mountains for a job for John. Money is very low and expenses are high. So please pray for relief here.

If you have time remember mom with cards and I welcome calls.....days can get long and lonely for me.

Mom is sick again.

Mom has another UTI and is having a bad day. The wound nurse will be coming to check on the sore on her tailbone. He told me today for mom to have kidney's that function she has to drink 64 ounces a day...she barely drinks 12....so we need prayers. He said the kidneys are in bad shape.

She also is fighting awful depression and so he added Zoloft today.....she cried the last 2 days because she wanted daddy. I am worn out but she needs lots of tender care.

John just left to go and get her meds from Harrisonburg.....maybe she will have a better night.

She was so confused again at times with the doctor.....it may be the toxins again from her kidneys....than the next time she can talk sense.....it is such a off and on thing.

HAPPY EASTER

He is Risen.....He is Risen Indeed!

These are just a few snapshots of our small Easter wonders.....The daffodils are so beautiful this spring. I so enjoy having them in my flower beds.

Mom is having a bad day again.....so down and so negative. I simply cannot get her out of the "what I wanted out of life" to "this is life how can we enjoy it". Some of it is depression, some the dementia and some her unwillingness to look for the good in the day instead of the bad.

I love mom but so often she teaches me what not to do by her being so negative. This is something dad tried to help her with too. Dad never saw the bad....he looked for the good. He found the good in each person he met and he took it a step more....he prayed that person would grow more in the good. He wanted people to be blessed.

This morning we watched a service form the church we were part of in Florida, It is called Northland A Church Distributed....We do this almost every Sunday as we love the message Dr. Joel Hunter brings from the Word of God and the music is simply wonderful! If you ever are in this part of Florida make sure you visit for a service and check out this site:

http://www.northlandchurch.net/

The message is from John 20:11-17.

He shared about the Questions Mary asked Jesus.....this is what hit me...."When God asks you a question it is not for information but investigation......For us to investigate our own answers.

Why are you weeping?

We complain about the government ,the church and live in fear and than go to church and raise our hands and sing "Our God Reigns" or a song about Him being in control. If He is in control that why do we grumble and complain? Is He or is He not in control and do we believe that. Joel reminded us that these things are sure not a good advertisement for God at all. AMEN! We must be looking forward to what God is doing and what He is planning for us. The bottom line is either you trust God or you don't.

"What Can I give you?"

He had to call her by name for her to know who He is....Does He not call us by name everyday and do we see who He is? He tells her to go and tell he has Risen.....maybe she thought things would be the same when she saw Him but they would never be the same. Because of His death and Resurrection things will never be the same.....The old has passed away and all things are new. We can have a deep and personal relationship with Jesus! But more than that we can also know the power of His Resurrection.

Phil.3:10-11 says it all and I like the Amplified Bible here for these verses.....

"[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope]
That if possible I may attain to the [spiritual and moral] resurrection [that lifts me] out from among the dead [even while in the body].

Easter is about our resurrection everyday from our circumstances....Looking to what He has planned for us.

We had a late lunch and mom ate like a trooper! But did cry and was bitter that dad is gone to the point she felt it hard to see John and I still have each other.....I just patted her hand and told her we love her.....How I wish she would feel the power of His resurrection!

It is a beautiful day and I will rejoice in it!

How about you?

MOM AND NATURE

These pictures John took after mom yelled for us to come back to her room. This Pileated Woodpecker was only 25 feet from her window. What you can't see is that there is a decayed piece of wood and he was getting a lot of good food from it. I think we watched him a good 5 minutes. Nature gives us such pleasure when we take time to just enjoy it.

Mom is eating like a horse.....here is a sample.

Last night I cooked a pork roast and has a casserole of sauerkraut that had sliced apples in it and brown sugar with broth from the roast. I made mashed potatoes too. Mom had 3 helpings.

If I cook what she likes she will eat and at this time eating anything is a plus.

Her joy comes from shuffling stuff from one drawer to another and back again. She is excited to have her stuff again. She does forget where some things are and also what she left in the home she sold in Florida. So we tell her again and again....

She does sleep quite a lot......her strength is just not there. She has been coming out for lunch and supper but I spoil her with breakfast in bed. She has a hospital table and so that makes it easy for her. She has not been able to read at all and cannot work her puzzles. This all frustrates her and we hear outbursts from her room.

Yesterday I went to the grocery store for her....she wanted Honey Buns, good hoop cheese, split pea soup, stuff to make tomato gravy on fried potatoes and ice cream sandwiches. Her new love is white cheese crackers and I get them for her....we hope the salt makes her drink because she will not drink and I worry about more bladder infections and with chronic kidney disease it is a concern.

We will be home for Easter. I have a small ham, sweet potatoes, green beans red beet eggs and a cake. I hope to make it as festive time. I sure will miss our kids and grand kids....

Aunt Gladys gave me a "Caregivers Journal" and this week I have been journaling on "It is a Privilege". Matthew 25:40 gave me a start,

"And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

In the eyes of the world mom's dependence on John and myself makes her "a least one". But she is my mother and she cared for me when I was a "least one". Now it is my privilege to care for her.

1 Timothy 5:8 says,

"But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. "

Mom is now a member of our household and this is a mandate for John and I to do our best. It is a strange thing to have mom rely on me.....a reversal of roles.....but one I do want to do for her and for the Lord. Pray for us because we are learning.....

MOM IS HOME

and resting but exhausted!

Please pray this will be an easy transition for all of us.

She still is on a ton of meds. I took her to Bob Evans for a meal and it was overload but she enjoyed it a lot.....even ate an egg, bacon and a biscuit. A lot for her!

Remember her with cards and calls please.

2637 Hopkins Drive
Massanutten,
Va.
22840

540-908-3097

PRAY:
She will continue to eat.
She has bowel problems and that is tough on her,
She will settle down.....she is pushy right now....
John still needs a job.

She does have pneumonia

They just called a few minutes ago to tell me the chest results are showing pneumonia. They have decided she needs to stay in skilled nursing until Monday and see how the meds are working and that see when she can come home. All the other tests are not back and so the doctor feels he needs to know just what he is treating. I totally agree this time.

She is not going to be a happy camper. This morning in her demented state she got up and tried to pack to come home. Of course they put her back to bed and saw she still had a fever. When I talked to her she was totally confused waiting for her dad.....Bless her heart.

We are taking in a meal tonight and will deal with her disappointment than.

PRAY:
They find the right meds.
Her fever to go down.
She will allow herself to rest.
She lost more weight this week and is 108 pounds. This is serious.
She will not lose her strength again laying around and she loses it fast!

Quick Update

They have the fever down to around 100. I just talked to her and she is sounding rough but seems in better spirits. We are going to head in there soon. Again they seem to rely on not a higher fever and she does not run fevers like a normal person and so again I will have to be her advocate.

Pray I keep my cool.