My Mom's Moves

There is something about approaching June that seems to make my Mom want to move ... or so it seems that way. I know I mentioned dealing with my Mom's health issues and being a part of the "Sandwich Generation" in my first post but I must tell you that I had nooooo idea what these phrases really meant. It all started a few years back when we noticed that her steps had become shorter and shorter. I started looking at Independent Living facilities because I was concerned about her falling. She balked on this idea and needless to say it was just a matter of time before she had a fall that put her in a nursing home and on dialysis for a period of time. From the nursing home we had to move her to an Assisted Living facility that eventually shut down causing her to have to move another Assisted Living facility. We thought we had her settled into a nice place when she started insisting on moving back to her home which is in a small town about 30 miles away. On June 1, 2007 she moved back to her home. It did not take but a few months for her to decide that she would rather be closer to all of us (there are 3 of us). So June 10, 2008 she moved back to our town and decided to finally put her home up for sale. Believe me, I am sparing you of all of the smaller details involved but I am sure you get the drift. She is now settled into a very comfortable 2 bedroom garden apartment but the drama surrounding her needs continue. For those of you who have experienced some of what I am talking about, I know you can identify but to the others you are probably saying "so what is the big deal? " The big deal is you love your mother and you want to do everything you can to make her happy and comfortable but for some seniors (hopefully not all) this is an exhausting feat to accomplish. Hopefully, today I have found someone to come to her home to do some of her small homemaking chores which I have also discovered is not as easy to get someone as you might think. Anyway, I just continue to pray for strength so I am able to fulfill the needs of an aging parent along with the occasional needs of other family members including my adult children.

Sadly Missed

I have not blogged in quite a while but today I feel so full of thoughts that I need to express. Firstly, I would like to say Tim we will miss you! I am not a person who readily feels attached to TV personalities so I must say that Tim's passing has struck me with a surprisingly deep sense of loss. I have watched closely throughout this 2008 political process and have searched for the truth wherever I can find it and can honestly say that anytime I had watched Tim Russert's interviews I would come away with a feeling of exhaustion for the interviewee and also feeling that some (often minute) element of truth had just been brought to the forefront. Tim's sense of fairness and his dedication to report the truth were qualities that I have admired and respected in him. This is a sad day and a tremendous loss ..... to all of us.