I'll start out by saying that my father turns 88 today. What a venerable age! Amazing. He says he is doing fine in many respects but that his days are taken up with doctor's appointments and therapy. That is to be expected.
The trip to my sister's was good. The poor woman is suffering from a cold, which has depleted her energies. It was good for me to visit. I can see that some of my advocacy has made the nursing home more responsive to her needs. She at least does not feel forgotten anymore.
Her mind is sharp and her body is weakening. Paradoxically, parts of her body is doing better, eyesight, eye-hand coordination, but other parts have weakened. She does not want to be in this state, and she knows that any physical therapy will push her beyond comfortable limits. We were able to talk about what she needs to do to participate in her own recovery and we discussed what I and others can do to help her along.
She is delighted with the cards and phone calls she has received. She even received a card from Stockholm, Sweden. It helps her to know that people are praying for her or are wishing her well. Though it may be a small gesture, it connects her to a much larger reality around her, and that gives her hope, and today, she needs hope.
We shared a piece of chocolate cake and we sang happy birthday to her. Her birthday is on January 14th. My visit was both a holiday and birthday visit. Her boyfriend has been extremely kind, caring, committed, and generous to her.
Now, the hard work for her begins. We are engineering a plan for her own physical therapy, and thanks to a good friend in Florida, we have come up with a plan. We have to give it a try. Thanks for your perseverance in prayer.
No comments:
Post a Comment