April 5, 2015 

Lila is home and recuperating. Her son is ill though and has been sleeping quite a bit. I suspect the drama of last week and the tension was too much for him. But he will be fine.

Mom is now watching television in her new wheelchair. She likes sitting in the wheelchair because I purchased a thick gel cushion for it, which she finds very comfortable. Mom can still walk, but not without pain. I suspect she pulled a muscle, as she is fine while sitting and can even cross her legs. She cried several times this week, breaking my heart. The PA says it’s arthritis, but I think the PA is nuts! (A bit of a paraphrase from “Miracle on 34th Street”) Anyhow, it’s Easter Sunday. I just butterflied and grilled a wonderful chicken from Donna’s farm, and I am now heating up a blueberry pie from Simply Delicious. Mom is happy and full.

I am still exhausted from my extended hours at the winery this week and all that I have had to do since, including edit Jake’s book (10 years in the making and finally a publisher). Today being the first Sunday of the month, I held my monthly prayer service at Hearthstone. I didn’t expect many residents to be present, as I knew family would be visiting or have taken them home for the holiday. There are so many at Hearthstone who should be living with family still, but who am I to judge. Mom could not stay here without Rob’s blessed presence. We cannot leave her alone, ever. In fact, I think she might have hurt her leg when Rob went out to the yard and mom went looking for him. Mom had been agitated when she returned home from respite care and was probably afraid of being left alone. She was crying when he returned to the kitchen. Who can know what happened to her in that space of time?

Nancy and I have been talking about our parallel experiences: hers with Eric and his strokes and mine with mom and her problems and aging in general. We are both exhausted but so glad that we can tend to those whom we love. Fortunately, our circumstances allow us the latitude to keep our family members at home.

Mom’s feet are becoming more swollen and blue. Because of her serious reaction to the antibiotics, her skin is also peeling terribly. So I rubbed some coconut oil onto her feet and face. For the first time in her life, mom’s face was beginning to look wrinkled. She was delighted to see the dry skin disappear. Coconut oil to the rescue once again!

Well, off to clean the grill and see to the blueberry pie. End of a wonderful day, all in all. Church service, seeing Barb and Jerry and getting a big hug from Michele; the Hearthstone service and meeting a daughter of one resident (another Barb) who lives in NJ and chatting about the traffic there and our life out here in PA; our chicken dinner; my several phone calls to Nancy and finding her uplifted… We were all so uplifted, but then the Resurrection tends to have that effect on people! Our hearts are full! The Lord is Risen indeed, Alleluia!