So, we are waaay behind in posts. When I opened this, I considered doing some "catch up" posts, but I don't think so. I'll just write about this week and catch you all up later. Like, when you get behind on your taxes, and the IRS says to pay this year, and catch up with prior years later. Oh, you've never done that?? Ok, well, you get the idea anyway.
So, this week, the plan was to take the 13 year old grand daughters Maddie and Abby for the special week I always have with them. Abby came with Carter on Saturday night (Carter and Les led worship together at Cottonwood on Sunday. I'll tell you about that later). We planned to leave early Monday morning and head for a two day get away in Dallas, come home for a special church event Wednesday (see http://cottonwoodwomen.blogspot.com/2013/07/gospel-balloons.html for that), then go to Fort Worth on Thursday.
Friday, a dear Cottonwood member who passed away. I needed attend the funeral and to help serve and funeral meal for the family on Monday, so we planned to leave Tuesday morning. As I considered this, I realized that I really needed to see my mother. She had a stroke Saturday, July 6. When we saw her on Sunday, she was doing pretty well; talking and smiling and able to move both arms. I knew from my sisters that she had declined during the week, and I needed to see her, so I loaded Maddie and Abby up Monday afternoon and made our first stop the nursing home. I was completely shocked by what I found. It seemed that my mother had had another stroke. She was curled into almost a fetatl position and not able to talk at all, barely was able to open her eyes. The nurse assured me that they had had her in her chair earlier and she was very tired. We had a visit and went on to spend the night at our daughter, Melody's house.
Tuesday, I took the girls to the Galleria in Dallas. My sister called to tell me that hospice was callled in to help with Mother and it would not be long. I continued getting updates on my mother during the day, until finally, I was told I needed to come. I dropped the girls off at our dauhgter Katy's house, and went to sit with my mother, with my sisters. The nurse said that she can hear us, and suggested that we read to her or sing to her. We visited, and sang her favorite hymns. After some hours, I headed back to spend the night at Melody's, since it was too late to go to the hotel in Dallas.
Wednesday, mother's status was a little better, but I wanted to stay close by. Abby and Maddie were so sweet and considerate, never complaining about the change in plans, just going along with whatever I needed to do. We stayed close to Katy's house and shopped all day. We bought false eye lashes and had make overs when we got back to Melody's.
Thursday, we all babysit Katy's 2 month old baby, Nora,
then we went back to the the Nursing Home, where my sisters had been most of the day. Libby met me there and took Abby and Maddie with her.
My poor mother was again laying curled up on her side, not responding to us in any way. We read the Bible to her, and prayed together before my sisters left. I spend some time with her, sang some hymns, read Psalm 91, one of my favorites, finally just headed home.
Today, I helped decorate for a wedding that I will attend tomorrow, then we will go to church on Sunday. I have a full week planned, but everything is tentative, just waiting. It seems so unnatural to say that I am waiting on my mother to die. I love her dearly. We have a close and sweet relationship, but now, she seems to be stuck, not dead, but not really alive either, somewhere in between. So, we wait.
