This New Season of Cycles

Mom just opened her eyes while sitting in her reclimer with the sweetest smile on her face and said, "we're so glad you could stop in and see us.  I'm Ruth and this is Bob and who are you?"  That took me aback for a moment but I just told her I was Heidi and glad to see her.  She then drifted back off to sleep and then woke back up and said she needed to be leaving soon because she had to go grocery shopping.  Without constantly asking if she knows where she is or who she is (something I've been doing less of) I'm never quite sure what is going on with her.  However, I'll take the sweet Mom over the one who showed up yesterday.....

Daylight savings must of goofed them both up a bit because Mom woke up Dad at 3 in the morning and made him get her up.  At 4am, he came to our bedroom door, fully dressed and after having fixed himself a hamburger bun with butter on it.  I asked him why he'd done that and he said because he was up so it must be time to eat.  Yikes!  What if he'd tried to cook his eggs?!  Well, I finally got them to go back to bed (he'd helped her go to the bathroom and then get into her recliner) and I crashed on the couch near their room for a couple more hours.  I did hear her talking at him for quite awhile.  Dad got up around 7:30 and at that point Mom was an emotional wreck.  She was convinced that Dad hated her and couldn't wait to get away from her.  She was certain that he was leaving her and was almost unconsolable.  The angry/sad Mom.  When I told her she was loved and in a safe place, she got angry and said "I don't believe you!"  Thankfully, I've learned how to stay loving and peaceful when she's like this and often she needs a bit of food or to go back to bed with Dad lying beside her.  I also pray for her (both quietly and out loud) as she's emoting such strong feelings.  A hug and a kiss on her head also tend to take the venom out of her words and make her grateful once again.

The challenge is that she's cycling through her emotions, several times a day.  This is a symptom of Lewey body.  A grace in the midst of all of this is that she's sleeping more so the times I have to deal with her crazy cycles are not as prolonged.  I've been told to let her do what she wants and when she gets into bed with a big happy sigh of delight...well, how can I make her stay up?  (as long as they're not up in the middle of the night!)

Two hospice chaplains came to visit today and Mom drifted in and out of wakefulness.  Dad got to talk quite a bit and that was enlightening for me.  He's so quiet most of the time (while Mom talks almost all the time she's awake) that I don't often know what's going on in his head.  He repeated several stories right in a row.  When asked why he moved to Seattle, he pointed to me and said we came out to visit her.  Then he asked me, "were you married then?" So he must've had me confused with his sister, Gertie.  He also told Dennis (one of the chaplains) that the Thomas Kinkaid painting on the wall was Grandpa's church that Thomas had painted for him.  No wonder he's no longer combing his hair or shaving unless I remind him.  He's slowly losing out.

I'm actually doing pretty well for the time being.  I got to preach on October 28th and I'm helping with a parenting class on Friday nights.  I'm getting a massage once or twice a month and that's helped tremendously.  It gives me life to get out on a regular basis so Corinna has been an absolute gift from God.  I'm so thankful for her loving attention to her Grandparents.  I feel so blessed to be able to care for Mom and Dad with all the ups and downs.  I'm still completely convinced that this is God's call upon my life.  Life is always an adventure when you're "just doin what God wants!"