October 12, 2005

Where Was I At Post 23

Fall flowers in the atrium Kingwood Estate, Mansfield Ohio


I have seen this meme on other blogs but I got tagged with it... Thank You Steve, at Wild Olive Branch

1.Go into your archives.
2. Find your 23rd post.
3. Post the fifth sentence (or closest to it).
4. Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions.
5. Tag five other people to do the same thing.


Well, I never took the time to look up the 5th sentence of the 23rd post and when I did tonight it couldnt be more appropriate, as I was needing to write about this subject...

She's now at the place where she is having trouble taking care of her basic daily tasks like bathing dressing and meal prep.

The date was November 6, 2003 and the post was titled "Malama e Kapuna (caring for the elders)" you can read the whole post when you click on the title.

I had received word that my Mother was no longer able to live on her own and was being forced into a nursing home. At that time she may or not have been able to be in assisted living...but there was no money to send her to a place like that but the state will put you in a nursing home. It was nearly a year later when I saw her and was shocked at the deterioration... Parkinsons is as nasty a waisting illness as you can have, I hadnt seen her since October of 2001 so it had been three years...

It was awful...I wrote about the trip in a series of short bits, you can go back to December 2004 the 10th and the 11th posts or these in particular

first sight

The Rose

Caregiving

Well I got an email from my cousin Lyn and the information inferes that Mom is back in the hospital for bedsores and the treatment of the infections that result. She gets the kind that errupt from with in rather than pressure opening the skin from the outside. The nurses turn her hourly, but as her body breaks down it wont matter... It seems that she cannot hold on much longer but she has surprised us with her vitality thus far.

Cannot speak mostly, cannot eat, cannot move. This is living hell. Pope John Paul II wrote that his struggle with Parkinsons was a true test of his ability to thank God for everything and to offer up his suffering as a sacrifice of praise. I know that this is a hard thing to understand but I have seen it practice and know that it can be done. I have tried to do this these past few weeks with the infection, but its hard.

I dont expect to see her again in this life. I can only hope that she will understand that I have done what I could do and that life has taken me in a far different direction than I had ever imagined. I pray that she will have a peaceful end.

And here I place a post that repeats a poem that I recite to everyone that will listen. We, Woody and I know that life is fleeting and that we cannot count on another day of life.

THE TIME IS NOW authour unknown

If you are ever going to love me,
Love me now, while I can know
The sweet and tender feelings
Which from true affection flow
Love me now
While I am living.
Do not wait until I'm gone
And then have it chiseled into marble,
Sweet words on ice cold stone.
If you have tender thoughts of me
Please tell me now.
If you wait until I am sleeping
Never to awaken,
There will be death between us,
And I won't hear you then.
So, if you love me , even a little bit,
Let me know it while I am living
So I can treasure it.

Wise words... dont wait...tomorrow may be too late


This was a good Meme and I tag the following

Mensa at Mensa Barbie

Smooth at SmoothStone

Esther at Outside the Blogway

Muse at Me-Ander

Norma at Collecting My Thoughts

and if you havent done it, Pattie then be my extra helping on Texas Trifles

Love you all