The verse from Ephesians that I used in my last post first came to me right after leaving Jack at Silverado on November 21, 2008. The part of it that is so amazing to me is that it says God is able to do more than we ask or even imagine. Yesterday I finally asked myself, "Just what did I ask of God on that day in November?" The answer: only two things--that Jack be treated well and that they not decide they couldn't keep him. That's it.
So...how did God answer my meager prayer? Here are some of the ways.
1. They engaged Jack. Rachael, Kisha, and Raul took him along on errands almost every day.
2. They honored Jack, the construction expert, by asking his opinion and making him feel that it was important.
3. They involved Jack by asking him to sit in on their meetings. It was amazing! I would arrive,and there they would be around the dining table--all the management personnel--and Jack! Later he would invite himself to any meeting he saw taking place. Even other families accepted Jack's presence at their conferences!
4. They (especially Mary Poole, R.N.) were more intuitive about his physical needs than I was able to be. She could tell when his behavior indicated he was suffering pain--from a hernia, for example. And she was able to smoothly get the problem corrected. Mary also knew and knows more about Alzheimer's Disease than anyone else I have run across in all these years.
5. Silverado provided great long halls where Jack was able to walk without limitations--day or night. (There was only about one week of his life that he was bedridden.)
6. I'm not exaggerating when I say that EVERYONE at Silverado LOVED Jack. This should really be No. 1! This was not a passive love. This was an action-filled love. And it was not just the caregivers. It was also the families of the other residents.
My concern that Jack's behavior would cause Silverado to send him elsewhere is almost laughable. Mary was kind enough to say several times to me (in her beautiful Scottish brogue) that Jack was "a walk in the park" to care for. I really believe that on his worst day they probably would have fought anybody who tried to take him away!
So, do you think I was a little faithless in my request of an almighty God on that day in 2008? I KNOW I was. But His goodness does not depend on me, for which I could not be more thankful.
I have realized that writing these thoughts on this blog is therapy for me. I thank you if you have hung in and read it. Feel free to send me a bill!
Monday, April 11, 2011
Saturday, April 9, 2011
A Year Ago Tonight...
I held the hand of my husband of 53 years as he breathed his last breath. I did not expect this anniversary to have as much impact on me as it has. I thought by now I'd be "all better."
As with everything, in some ways it seems like he's been gone a long time, and in others, just a while. As I drove home from Waxahachie tonight after Maddie's one-act play, I thought, "If Jack were still here we would drive to Lubbock to see her in the regional competition." He was game for anything in which his grandgirls were participating.
My most prevalent thought this week has been how God blessed us with Silverado. When Jack moved in there were three other residents. Now there are 51. The people who played such a tremendous part in helping Jack adjust are all gone. Only Rachael, the administrator, is still there. Who are we, that the creator of the universe, the giver of life, cared so much for us and timed matters so perfectly for us? I could never, ever thank Him enough.
Jack with Raul, one of God's gifts
"Now to Him who by the power at work within us is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or imagine, to Him be glory... in Christ Jesus to all generations, for ever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21 That's what He did for us! More than I even imagined.
As with everything, in some ways it seems like he's been gone a long time, and in others, just a while. As I drove home from Waxahachie tonight after Maddie's one-act play, I thought, "If Jack were still here we would drive to Lubbock to see her in the regional competition." He was game for anything in which his grandgirls were participating.
My most prevalent thought this week has been how God blessed us with Silverado. When Jack moved in there were three other residents. Now there are 51. The people who played such a tremendous part in helping Jack adjust are all gone. Only Rachael, the administrator, is still there. Who are we, that the creator of the universe, the giver of life, cared so much for us and timed matters so perfectly for us? I could never, ever thank Him enough.
Jack and Charleigh-Girl in his room
 | ||||
| The view from Jack's window |
"Now to Him who by the power at work within us is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or imagine, to Him be glory... in Christ Jesus to all generations, for ever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21 That's what He did for us! More than I even imagined.
Friday, March 25, 2011
My New Career
Everyone at my table on the cruise had an interesting, important sounding job except Judy and me. Sam is in construction, Sharon manages a large dental practice, Stephanie is an auditor for the State of Virginia, Cynthia is an analyst with the Special Investigations Unit of Geico, and Rosamma, as I have mentioned, is a nurse practioner with the NIH. And I'm not even a homemaker any more--I'm a retired homemaker.
So...on the way home it became crystal clear to me what I want my new career to be. This is how it happened. When I was waiting to go through Customs, I noticed the bomb-sniffing dog with its agent. It was a darling little beagle. Now we had been told at least 775 times before getting off the ship that we COULD NOT take any food off--ESPECIALLY FRUIT OR VEGETABLES!!! So...what was the little beagle doing? She was sniffing out an orange which some dummy had placed in his or her luggage! So, the trainer confiscated the orange and rewarded little beagle for the find. Soooo cute.
Then, event number two. I was sitting in the lounge waiting to board the plane home when a lady walked up with a magnificent German Shepherd wearing a FEMA vest! As she made an inquiry of the gate agent, the dog jumped up and placed its paws on the desk! Isn't that just too precious?
I'm sure you're realizing by now that, yes, I want to be a dog handler for a service dog! I am simply crazy about dogs. Now, my son Jay is laughing so hard right now that he can hardly continue reading this because he has very little faith in my ability to train a dog. I'll be the first to admit that I haven't done too well with Charleigh-Girl, but I know I can get better and more stern. And, see--I'm not so bad. She CAN "sit" and "shake."
No, Charleigh, this is not "sit." This is "down."
O.K., here we go. I told you she could do it!
Unfortunately, as amazing as she is, Charleigh-Girl has some limitations when it comes to being a service dog. She is the most hyper, hysterical dog in the world and would find it very hard not to bark at, jump on, and lick everyone with whom we came in contact. She gets bored easily, leading to this type of behavior if left alone:
It is painfully obvious that I will have to get another dog for my new career. I'm thinking of a beagle or a German Shepherd. Perhaps he or she can straighten C-G out for me, too.
So...on the way home it became crystal clear to me what I want my new career to be. This is how it happened. When I was waiting to go through Customs, I noticed the bomb-sniffing dog with its agent. It was a darling little beagle. Now we had been told at least 775 times before getting off the ship that we COULD NOT take any food off--ESPECIALLY FRUIT OR VEGETABLES!!! So...what was the little beagle doing? She was sniffing out an orange which some dummy had placed in his or her luggage! So, the trainer confiscated the orange and rewarded little beagle for the find. Soooo cute.
Then, event number two. I was sitting in the lounge waiting to board the plane home when a lady walked up with a magnificent German Shepherd wearing a FEMA vest! As she made an inquiry of the gate agent, the dog jumped up and placed its paws on the desk! Isn't that just too precious?
I'm sure you're realizing by now that, yes, I want to be a dog handler for a service dog! I am simply crazy about dogs. Now, my son Jay is laughing so hard right now that he can hardly continue reading this because he has very little faith in my ability to train a dog. I'll be the first to admit that I haven't done too well with Charleigh-Girl, but I know I can get better and more stern. And, see--I'm not so bad. She CAN "sit" and "shake."
No, Charleigh, this is not "sit." This is "down."
O.K., here we go. I told you she could do it!
Unfortunately, as amazing as she is, Charleigh-Girl has some limitations when it comes to being a service dog. She is the most hyper, hysterical dog in the world and would find it very hard not to bark at, jump on, and lick everyone with whom we came in contact. She gets bored easily, leading to this type of behavior if left alone:
It is painfully obvious that I will have to get another dog for my new career. I'm thinking of a beagle or a German Shepherd. Perhaps he or she can straighten C-G out for me, too.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
My one fear about cruising alone
You might think I would be afraid of getting lost. No, that never enters my mind. Well, maybe then it would be getting bored. Nope, doesn't happen to me. Getting sick? No. Been there, done that. They have excellent medical care on ships.
My fear is the dreaded dining room table assignment. For years I sweated out a table for two (by the windows if possible, please) and we were always accommodated. Jack's memory problems could create a massive case of indigestion for me if we had recurring seatmates. It has, therefore, become my habit to check out the table size as soon as possible.
A single cruiser is best off at a large table. Therefore, that is what I requested on my recent trip. However, that is also what I requested on my cruise on the Oasis, and I was given a table for one. When I inquired during the afternoon I was told my table was for six. Not what I had in mind, but I thought I would give it a chance. When I was escorted to that table, it was a table for only four, with an older couple already seated. I tactfully told my escort that this wouldn't work. He sent me to the maitre' d's line.
Unbeknown to me, there was a lovely lady just ahead of me in that line who had asked for early seating and been given late. She was changed and reassigned to Table 178, a table for eight. I was then the eighth person assigned to that table, and I sat down beside her. Here we are:
Her name is Rosamma. I found her to be a fascinating person. She was born in India but has spent most of her life in Maryland. She is a nurse practitioner who works for the National Institute of Health (NIH). She specializes in infectious diseases and allergies. She loves her job.
My story usually starts with the fact that I lost my husband less than a year ago after a ten-year struggle with Alzheimer's Disease. Rosamma told me she is a widow, too. Her husband passed away about six months before Jack did. The illnesses that took them could not have been more different. Her husband only lived about three months after being diagnosed with cancer. They didn't have time for the last trips together like we did. And she is much younger than I.
At the same moment Rosamma and I realized and acknowledged that our seating was orchestrated by God, not by coincidence. This was the first trip she had taken without her husband. She seemed inspired by the fact that I had taken several. We reminisced about our husbands at length. She told me on the last night of the cruise how much she had enjoyed the socializing at dinner. I, in turn, benefited so much by her admiration of my ability to travel alone. Sometimes I think I must be strange to be able to do so, or I have feelings of guilt, and to know I actually encouraged her was a huge blessing to me.
If God knows even how many hairs are on my head, why do I doubt that He can place me just where I need to be? Oh, by the way. Our table was even by the windows!
My fear is the dreaded dining room table assignment. For years I sweated out a table for two (by the windows if possible, please) and we were always accommodated. Jack's memory problems could create a massive case of indigestion for me if we had recurring seatmates. It has, therefore, become my habit to check out the table size as soon as possible.
A single cruiser is best off at a large table. Therefore, that is what I requested on my recent trip. However, that is also what I requested on my cruise on the Oasis, and I was given a table for one. When I inquired during the afternoon I was told my table was for six. Not what I had in mind, but I thought I would give it a chance. When I was escorted to that table, it was a table for only four, with an older couple already seated. I tactfully told my escort that this wouldn't work. He sent me to the maitre' d's line.
Unbeknown to me, there was a lovely lady just ahead of me in that line who had asked for early seating and been given late. She was changed and reassigned to Table 178, a table for eight. I was then the eighth person assigned to that table, and I sat down beside her. Here we are:
Her name is Rosamma. I found her to be a fascinating person. She was born in India but has spent most of her life in Maryland. She is a nurse practitioner who works for the National Institute of Health (NIH). She specializes in infectious diseases and allergies. She loves her job.
My story usually starts with the fact that I lost my husband less than a year ago after a ten-year struggle with Alzheimer's Disease. Rosamma told me she is a widow, too. Her husband passed away about six months before Jack did. The illnesses that took them could not have been more different. Her husband only lived about three months after being diagnosed with cancer. They didn't have time for the last trips together like we did. And she is much younger than I.
At the same moment Rosamma and I realized and acknowledged that our seating was orchestrated by God, not by coincidence. This was the first trip she had taken without her husband. She seemed inspired by the fact that I had taken several. We reminisced about our husbands at length. She told me on the last night of the cruise how much she had enjoyed the socializing at dinner. I, in turn, benefited so much by her admiration of my ability to travel alone. Sometimes I think I must be strange to be able to do so, or I have feelings of guilt, and to know I actually encouraged her was a huge blessing to me.
If God knows even how many hairs are on my head, why do I doubt that He can place me just where I need to be? Oh, by the way. Our table was even by the windows!
Friday, March 4, 2011
Continued...I hope
Now let's see if I can show you the world's most beautiful pool table light.
Yea! So far, so good.
I wanted you to see the birds on the mural in our bedroom. I requested these and love them.
And one more new thing. My "Sam-of-all-trades," Sam Jackson, brought me these beautiful lanterns that his father had restored for me. He installed them in my rose garden. I just got candles for them today. Aren't they beautiful?
A Few New Things!
I go for months and months, maybe even years, without changing anything in my home. I never rearrange furniture. I place it where I want it, and there it stays. I'm not bad about getting tired of things. If I like them, I keep on liking them. But...just let me get started, and it's "Katy, bar the door," as my Daddy used to say. (Don't ask me what that means--I have no idea!)
This is how the guest bedroom has looked for years.
This is my new guest bedroom--still a work in progress.
The luggage the little girl is sitting on was given to me when I graduated from high school.
From this point I decided I needed a chandelier in my bedroom instead of the 26-year-old ceiling fan. So, here it is.
My name for the mural is "View from the Crystal Symphony," one of our favorite cruise ships. The artist used an actual photo we had taken.
While shopping for the chandelier, I just had to look at pool table fixtures. We had never had "the real thing." I found the perfect one, and it's just what I needed! No one ever even goes in the game room but me.
O.K. I did something wrong and I can't get the "insert image" to work. I'll try again, but I don't want to lose what I've done. Please stay tuned!
This is how the guest bedroom has looked for years.
This is my new guest bedroom--still a work in progress.
The luggage the little girl is sitting on was given to me when I graduated from high school.
From this point I decided I needed a chandelier in my bedroom instead of the 26-year-old ceiling fan. So, here it is.
My name for the mural is "View from the Crystal Symphony," one of our favorite cruise ships. The artist used an actual photo we had taken.
While shopping for the chandelier, I just had to look at pool table fixtures. We had never had "the real thing." I found the perfect one, and it's just what I needed! No one ever even goes in the game room but me.
O.K. I did something wrong and I can't get the "insert image" to work. I'll try again, but I don't want to lose what I've done. Please stay tuned!
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Did you know I went to the Rose Bowl Parade?
Of course you did. The real question is, "Will I ever stop talking about it?" I think I will, but not until after this......
This weekend I stayed with Susannah, and she showed me the video of my "appearance." Here is Terri's still shot, which she took from their TV and sent me by text message.
\
I thought this was just a momentary shot. It wasn't! I'm on that screen for 2 or more minutes at various times. Now what amazes me is the astronomical odds against the probability of this happening. There were approximately one million people at the parade. This camera shot extends only one row behind where I was sitting--in a reserved seat obtained by the Southwest Bank travel club. The ABC cameraman happened to be just up and over my left shoulder on a stationery platform. NBC showed practically no crowd shots. HGTV was set up on Orange Blvd. around the corner from the main parade route, not even close to where I was. And those were the two channels I recorded.
A big "Thank You" goes to Jay and Terri. They spotted me and alerted the Metzgers. Now I promise I'll shut up about this. (But--they are making me a copy of the video which I will be more than happy to give you the opportunity to watch when you visit me.)
This weekend I stayed with Susannah, and she showed me the video of my "appearance." Here is Terri's still shot, which she took from their TV and sent me by text message.
I thought this was just a momentary shot. It wasn't! I'm on that screen for 2 or more minutes at various times. Now what amazes me is the astronomical odds against the probability of this happening. There were approximately one million people at the parade. This camera shot extends only one row behind where I was sitting--in a reserved seat obtained by the Southwest Bank travel club. The ABC cameraman happened to be just up and over my left shoulder on a stationery platform. NBC showed practically no crowd shots. HGTV was set up on Orange Blvd. around the corner from the main parade route, not even close to where I was. And those were the two channels I recorded.
A big "Thank You" goes to Jay and Terri. They spotted me and alerted the Metzgers. Now I promise I'll shut up about this. (But--they are making me a copy of the video which I will be more than happy to give you the opportunity to watch when you visit me.)
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