July 3, 2008
Look what was at my door? With the month I am having I was so ready to get some ‘fun’ mail…Thank you so much Jennifer. You made my week…month…summer!
Here is a list of my Goodies:
A Travel Journal; Note Cards; A Puzzle Book; An Address Book; A Photo Book;A Duffle Bag-that will be used daily for work. Much more of chance of that then getting away this summer!
…AND CANDY!!!!!
July 1, 2008
It helps to know that ‘Saints’ go through this too. Sometimes I think that there is no hope for me, then I read this:
The Heart Can Change Several
Times In One Moment
The heart can change several times in one moment
-to good or evil,
to faith or unbelief,
to simplicity or cunning,
to love or hatred,
to benevolence or envy,
to generosity or avarice,
O, what inconstancy!
O, how many dangers!
O, how sober and watchful we must be!
Saint John of Kronstadt, My Life in Christ
Pray for me Saint John that I may be more sober and watchful…pray for us all.
June 22, 2008
Hubby is a choir director and church organist, so I have been in every choir in every church that he has played/directed since we started dating in college 29 years ago. (Good) church organists/choir directors are in short supply, so he never wanted for a job. Here’s a list of churches that he has played/directed for:
Presbyterian
ELCA Lutheran
United Methodist
Christian Missionary Alliance
Independent Lutheran
Roman Catholic-4
I always came along with boyfriend/fiance/husband as the faithful alto girlfriend/finace/wife. I guess we were a package deal. I got to know all those Christmas and Easter Cantatas. I was raised Roman Catholic, so I had little experience with those seasonal ‘blessings’ called Cantatas before meeting hubby. (Cantata equals a Sunday before a religious holiday that the pastor doesn’t have to preach…) Sorry, I never grew to like them.
In some churches it was hard work-in others it wasn’t. Lutheran had all those settings for Liturgy, but the CMA was 3 hymns, an anthem and your out. I did learn four part harmony to some great old gospel songs at the CMA, though.
Well, since I am Orthodox I have learned what a workout the choir can get on a Sunday morning! I was plum tuckered out this morning by the end of Liturgy! I have almost learned how to NOT lose my place in the Liturgy. I only tripped up once this morning…
I can remember the ‘downtime’ I had on other choirs. Time to change music, look over the next tune, adjust the collar on the choir robe, refresh the supply of Kleenex and cough drops in the pockets. Not so in Orthodoxy, not so. (I don’t miss the choir robes-believe me!) I try to keep a prayerful attitude, but sometimes it is just hard for me to keep up. I still need the music-I am so jealous of those choir veterans that have it all in their head!
I literally gave out a “Whew!” today after Liturgy. (An exhausted “Whew!” let me tell ya…) Singing/praying is hard work.
Happy All Saints Sunday-may they all intercede for the salvation of this poor sinner’s soul!
June 19, 2008
Things are slowly getting back to their everyday pace around here. I haven’t had a meeting with a Doctor, Lawyer or financial person for three days! The laundry is not in piles anymore and I am cooking again! I have a wonderful husband and children that picked up the slack and helped when I was just to overwhelmed by it all…
Tonight the male child is cooking chicken on the grill and I made Nutty Cookies and Cream Dessert. My August issue of Simple and Delicious came today in the mail and I immediately went for the desserts. It was a contest recipe winner actually-4th place. I didn’t have all the ingredients for Places 1, 2, and 3.
Junior’s summer job is working out well. He is currently picking strawberries ‘down on the farm.’ I guess I’ll get crop updates whenever new produce ripens. Princess’s summer boredom has set in-she really misses ‘cooking school.’ Her boredom is only broken by ‘helping’ a mom from our church with babysitting three days a week. This is such a blessing. I didn’t want Princess to be ’stuck’ at work with me during the summer, but I didn’t want her at home by herself for those days either, so the ‘babysitting’ is a little of both-if you know what I mean.
All our flowers/plants around the house are planted thanks to my husband. They are his babies-I am only the emergency “I was running late for work, so could you water…” person. He is much more organized about that kind of thing. I tend to forget watering until a plant is droopoverbrown dry-and what is fertilizer, again? Hubby is the Miracle Grow King.
Like I said-we’re getting back to normal.
June 13, 2008
We moved Dad into the nursing home this past Wednesday. He is a bit more confused than he has been, but the nurses tell me this is normal. He is also very angry with me. Did I say VERY angry? I have to know in my heart and in my mind that I did the right and safe thing for him.
Things could have gone so much worse. I know that it just didn’t happen that I stopped in at Dad’s house that Sunday and he had not locked/barred the doors; I just didn’t happen to get to see Dad’s PCP first thing that Monday morning; It just didn’t happen that the right Doctor was working the ER that morning; It is didn’t happen that Dad could be admitted to the right unit at the hospital right away; It just didn’t happen that there was one bed/room available in the Nursing Home with one of the best Dementia Units around; and It just didn’t happen that all the right meetings happened with all the right people (lawyers, accountants, social workers, AND PRIESTS!) at just the right times.
Nope, All God all the time!
Glory to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Both now and ever and unto ages of ages. AMEN!!!
June 9, 2008
Things that no matter how well you think that you are prepared for you just find yourself breaking down into tears when they do happen…
Somehow, I don’t think that the grammar in that sentence is correct but do you get the idea?
Yesterday we drove out to the nursing home and toured the Alzheimer’s Unit where Dad will be moving to this week. The nurse on duty was so helpful and kind. I felt like such a fish out of water-I didn’t know what to ask. Just when I thought that I had asked every question I could think of, I realized after getting home, (at 9:30 at night) that I had a few more. After a late call to the home those were answered, too. We get to decorate Dad’s room and have it ready when he moves in. Hubby, kids and I are going out the day before Dad does and we’ll have the room all decorated and ready for him. We even get to lug out his enormous television set!
This morning I started packing Dad’s things. The kids and I spent the day at Dad’s house picking and packing. What goes-what stays? He is going from two bedroom home to one small room with a bath. I packed all the pictures and most of his ‘cat’ collection-pillows, tapestries, and knick knacks-all cats ALL the time. There is a shelf near the ceiling of his room that goes around two of the walls which is just a perfect place for all of his cat ‘dust collectors’-my name for them not Dad’s.
I labeled all his clothes and other personal items. Now I know a little of what my parents felt like when they were labeling all my clothes when I went of to church camp! How do you fit a first and last name on underwear?!?!?
Now I am off to the hospital for a visit with Dad. I don’t think that he really understands yet that he is not getting to go ‘home.’
June 9, 2008
With all the stuff that is going on in my life right now I need this fun diversion! The swap is closed now-sorry I didn’t get the info posted sooner. But if you think you might be interested in doing something similar, take a trip over to Adventures of An Orthodox Mom and Read about the Orthodox Mom Travel Swap. I have to narrow down my ‘destinations.’ I guess I am in one of those ‘anywhere but here’ moods.
June 5, 2008
Here is a pic of dad in his better days. He (like his daughter) does not like to have his picture taken!
It was necessary to have a hearing yesterday in order to keep my father in the ‘302′ Alzheimer’s unit. It rates as one of the most surreal and difficult moments of my life. Legal personnel, psychiatrists, doctors, dad and the ‘dutiful’ daughter together in a room deciding if dad was in his right mind.
I think that I know what a ‘bittersweet’ moment is now. I have been trying to convince doctors to take my father’s problems seriously for about two years and FINALLY the moment had come. It has been determined that dad is in the middle to later stages of dementia. He is hearing/seeing things and is not recognizing family right now. He doesn’t know where he is and he thought that the hearing was for ‘divorcing’ me. Somehow I have become his ex-wife Barbara. Barbara was his mother’s and my deceased sister’s name… (Sorry, that is when I lost it at the hearing-not enough Kleenex in the room.)
So, we have more testing and then placement. Dad is a ‘flight’ risk so he needs a specialized facility and I have found a nice facility with an available bed in their Alzheimer’s/Dementia Unit rather close to our home, (about 40 minutes away.) We have to work on the money issues now-doesn’t it always entail money? This involves Power of Attorney, another difficult hearing.
Thank you for your prayers-keep them going-the road is still long…
June 3, 2008
After a LONG weekend of fear, tears and frustration, I admitted my father, (against his will), to the Alzheimer’s unit in our local hospital. He was living alone and I am his only family member. There is no power of attorney-so things got a bit hairy. We had tried to set things up in the past (POA other living arrangements etc,) but dad always fought it. I had to have him declared incompetent.
This has been a long road already and it seems that it will be even longer. I am NOT ready for this and Dad is feeling betrayed, but I believe that this is what is best now. Other professionals HAVE to get involved. His PCP seems to have been in the dark the whole time until last Friday. I don’t know how she could have missed it for so long! We are talking a slow decline for 3 years now! Please remember us in your prayers. Sorry to ramble…
May 30, 2008
I baked bread this afternoon. (So that isn’t such a stunning feat, but it was fun.) To Princess’s displeasure it is not gluten free-but the cookies are! Gluten-Free Oatmeal Scotchie Bar Cookies-yum!
One more week of lunches to pack and we had run out of ‘homemade goodies.’ The store bought gluten-free ‘emergency’ sandpaper cardboard tasteless cookie rations were depleted-so I had to make the good stuff!
Now on to conquering that pile of ironing and ‘dancing’ with the vacuum cleaner. …just call me ‘Wonder-Mum!’
