A Trip Out and Going to Church

It has been a good couple of days (with a few setbacks) beginning with a visit to a big nursery in Woodinville. I ordered the newspaper for Dad and in it was a coupon for 40% off on one item at Molbacks (a really nice nursery). So on Thursday, I called my sister-in-law and she brought her mom (who has alzheimers) over, so that we could go together. It was a nice fall day and perfect for a little drive and adventure. I purchased a plant for our yard to commemorate their move in and we had fun walking around and looking at all the incredible plants and holiday displays - both Halloween and Christmas. Mom complained quite a bit and kept wanting to sit down so we found the cafe that sits in the middle of a beautiful garden. It was lovely and peaceful so we just enjoyed a tasty treat and sat and visited. That night Dad was so appreciative and thanked me for a really fun day. I know how much he needs to get out and that has become my motivator to push through mom's objections. In the end, she enjoyed it as well.

Yesterday we actually made it to church and even though it took quite a bit of pushing and cajoling and motivational speaking - we got there. Again, they both enjoyed it and were so glad that they went. At one point I said to mom, "look, I really need this and so do you so we're going to go." She couldn't argue with that!

In between those two great outings we had a couple of challenges. Dad fell down on Friday night right before he went to bed. And he didn't tell me about it until the next morning. He was stepping back from helping mom and lost his balance, landed hard on his butt and then hit his shoulder and head quite hard. I can't believe I didn't hear it and that he didn't let me know! I tried to emphasize how important it is for him to fill me in on these kinds of happenings when they actually happen. He told me that he did tell me, that I was right there and in fact, I was in bed with him. I told him, "no, I was not and not to tell other people that!" Another sign that he's not quite as sharp as I sometimes assume he is. He did not want me to take him to the ER and only wanted to take it easy for a couple of days. So I did and yet, in the middle of the night, I lie and worry if that was the best thing to do. I walk a fine line between caring for him and yet still letting him have some authority over his own life. What if he had bleeding in the brain? I watched him pretty carefully over the past 48 hours and he seems to be fine. He is a stubborn old coot. The other challenge came Saturday night while he was showering and he pulled down the shower curtain. Mom was standing in the doorway stressing out and the only thing to do was to go and help him - while he stood there stick stark naked. I just did my best to give him privacy by not looking and keeping the curtain between the two of us. The day of seeing him naked was bound to come and I think we both handled it pretty well. I never did find out why the shower curtain fell - he said he didn't fall, but I'm assuming he grabbed it or stepped on it and down it came. I plan to have a mounted rod put in (that has always been the plan) but now it seems that I need to do this sooner rather than later. Time to finish the work in their bathroom!

Each day is a gift and an opportunity for grace and growth - I'm so aware of that. I'm still grateful for this time in my life and the much slower pace that I'm living. As I keep my eyes on God and look to Him for strength and perspective I find many reasons to be grateful. As long as I don't try to figure out what's coming down around the river bend. I'm just enjoying it as it comes.