January. Wow. Last January started out with my memory extravaganza, honouring my parents. That was a lot of fun. I think it just might be one of my favourite months of blogging, ever. My parents celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary, and especially after my mom's recent health scare, it makes you realize that every new year, month, day, is a gift.
February. Last February, I celebrated 40 days of happy in honour of Lent. Probably not such a good idea for the Lenten traditionalists, but I am not bound by convention when it comes to the church calender. Also, there was the Olympics. Hmm.. there was that cute skeleton racer from Manitoba, and the women's hockey team got busted for smoking cigars.
March. In March I learned the difference between Tegan and Sarah, and Justin Bieber. Not terribly notable for any other reason, but I think that is when I finally was free of the terrible co-worker who haunted my dreams and ruined my days.
April. Oh my. In April I learned how to make Steamed Pork Buns. I bet none of you have ever had such a great book keeper at YOUR place of work. Someone who can balance the books AND teach you how to cook Chinese food. We also had a lovely visit with Flat Nadia. When, oh when shall I see the REAL Nadia again?
May. May was a good month. Uneventful for me, really. I did host a lovely bra burning party for a recently reduced friend. A couple of months later, she quit her day job! Brave girl, that one.
June. I wonder if they have rebuilt the ugly Jesus statue, yet?
July. Joey had his JAW surgery, thus rendering him leading-man handsome, whereas he was cute, before. AND, we had a fabulous Visser Family Reunion, which actually slipped into August.
August. Wow. I must have been tired in August, or outside all the time. I barely posted and remember so very little of it! Last August was when my parents decided once and for all, that they simply had to move. And so they did. Though not until October.
September. We said good bye to my Uncle Donald. My only British uncle and in fact, my only non-Dutch uncle. (We Dutch, we stick together, methinks.) I was so happy that we had been able to visit with him the year prior. My kids will always remember their Great Uncle Donald.
October. Rob went home to The Netherlands this past October. Had a great visit with his family there, along with his older brother. October also covers the actual physical move of my parents, and I still believe that they intentionally changed the lay out of the grocery-mega store to trap us there for longer than we meant to be.
November. November saw me join Micah in a Hitchcock-fest. And found me losing energy. I am tired, my friends. Good but tired. I need a break! A breather! Some refreshment! I still have not found it! I will, though. I will. I'm sure I will, eventually. I'm thankful the next few days and weeks will be quiet at work and that I will get some time off.
December. Well, the jury isn't out on December yet. It started with my mom giving us a huge scare. It's continued with my dear friend and mentor finding out that his cancer is progressing rapidly. Still, December is bringing joy. People from some churches, and through a sister ministry gave us gift bags for our community members last week. Think, stocking in a bag. It was so fun to give those out today! People had great fun with them and it gave me joy to see them celebrate.
All in all, a good year. Thanks, God, Creator of the Universe, Divine force, Inspired light, for sticking with me for another year. I needed that. I needed you.
Happiness to you and yours!
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Friday, December 17, 2010
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Some days...
Some days are diamonds some days are stones
Sometimes the hard times won't leave me alone
Sometimes a cold wind blows a chill in my bones
Some days are diamonds some days are stones.
Just as I am celebrating my mom's returning to health, I am grieving a dear friend and mentor's decline. Henk has mentored me and been my primary support and 'go to' person while I've navigated a new and challenging job.
Henk has also battled cancer for many years. Today he called me and said his spine is starting to compress which is causing him to lose feeling in, and use of his legs.
This, on top of a very difficult week here at work. Somebody stole some great paintings from our family room. Someone got beaten by her partner. Someone on our team is refusing to talk to another, and not saying why. (Oh how I hate those kinds of games.) Someone tried to steal all of our coffee whitener(!) (That seemed kind of crazy to me, actually.) Someone has made threatening accusations against another. Someone is using and won't admit it. Everybody's sad about Christmas.
There's this prophesy about Jesus, written by the prophet Isaiah, where he says,
"Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering."
Sometimes I think about the pain I see in my little part of the world, and I cannot imagine bearing any more than that.
I need a little lightening today.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Wednesday, December 08, 2010
Lazarus
You won't totally understand unless you saw her.
On Tuesday, when I arrived, my mom was raving. She was talking to people who weren't there, she was trying to pick up items that didn't exist, she was dreaming about parties and fires and her great grandchildren and more. Once in a while she would become slightly more conscious and say something that made a bit of sense. She spent three days in that state.
She ate cream of chicken soup and called it tomato beef. She could not bring a cup to her lips. She thought she was knitting. She wondered why people, long since dead, were visiting her.
We all thought she was going to die. A matter of time.
At the end of the terrible Tuesday, my dear friend Glenda came and helped my mom tuck herself in. After at least four nights when Mom would have just laid on her back, Glenda asked, "How do you usually like to sleep, Mrs. Wikk?"
"I sleep on my right side. Always on my right side." answered my mom in a moment of near-lucidity.
"Okay, then, that's what we're gonna do."
And so we helped her onto her right side, or rather Glenda did, and got her comfortable. She could not move by herself, could not roll over, could not adjust herself, So after moving her here and there, she finally got comfortable. And she fell asleep. Peacefully.
She slept, I think, at around 7 pm. She woke up at 2 am and she remembers she wanted breakfast. The nurse told her it was too early and she fell asleep once more until 5, her usual(!) wake up time. It was her first full night of sleep in much too long.
When my sister in law Tena and I got there on Wednesday morning, Mom looked at us and said, "Hello!" And she was back, almost normal. Happy to see us, a wee bit confused, but back.
And over the course of the day, she improved. She went to physio and exercised. She told the doctor where she was. She brushed her teeth and wanted her shoes. She said she had had a lot of crazy dreams. And could remember almost all of them. Odd that she remembered the dreams, but very little of what happened in the real world.
I do not know how the world works. I do not know what the mind does. I do not understand all the matters of this life and the next life and the details of where soul meets body. But when my mom 'woke up' this morning, she said, "I have a feeling that I was fighting all day long."
Oh yes, Mom, you were fighting for your life. Just not ready to leave this world, even though you know there is a better one coming.
There is a lot of hard work left for my mom. She has to exercise and do physio and get strength back into her legs. She can't go home unless she has the strength to safely transfer from chair to walker to bed. That will take a lot of time.
But she is back, and I am so thankful. There's this old bible story, where Lazarus spends three days in the grave until Jesus calls him out. Today I am thinking my mom is a lot like Lazarus.
On Tuesday, when I arrived, my mom was raving. She was talking to people who weren't there, she was trying to pick up items that didn't exist, she was dreaming about parties and fires and her great grandchildren and more. Once in a while she would become slightly more conscious and say something that made a bit of sense. She spent three days in that state.
She ate cream of chicken soup and called it tomato beef. She could not bring a cup to her lips. She thought she was knitting. She wondered why people, long since dead, were visiting her.
We all thought she was going to die. A matter of time.
At the end of the terrible Tuesday, my dear friend Glenda came and helped my mom tuck herself in. After at least four nights when Mom would have just laid on her back, Glenda asked, "How do you usually like to sleep, Mrs. Wikk?"
"I sleep on my right side. Always on my right side." answered my mom in a moment of near-lucidity.
"Okay, then, that's what we're gonna do."
And so we helped her onto her right side, or rather Glenda did, and got her comfortable. She could not move by herself, could not roll over, could not adjust herself, So after moving her here and there, she finally got comfortable. And she fell asleep. Peacefully.
She slept, I think, at around 7 pm. She woke up at 2 am and she remembers she wanted breakfast. The nurse told her it was too early and she fell asleep once more until 5, her usual(!) wake up time. It was her first full night of sleep in much too long.
When my sister in law Tena and I got there on Wednesday morning, Mom looked at us and said, "Hello!" And she was back, almost normal. Happy to see us, a wee bit confused, but back.
And over the course of the day, she improved. She went to physio and exercised. She told the doctor where she was. She brushed her teeth and wanted her shoes. She said she had had a lot of crazy dreams. And could remember almost all of them. Odd that she remembered the dreams, but very little of what happened in the real world.
I do not know how the world works. I do not know what the mind does. I do not understand all the matters of this life and the next life and the details of where soul meets body. But when my mom 'woke up' this morning, she said, "I have a feeling that I was fighting all day long."
Oh yes, Mom, you were fighting for your life. Just not ready to leave this world, even though you know there is a better one coming.
There is a lot of hard work left for my mom. She has to exercise and do physio and get strength back into her legs. She can't go home unless she has the strength to safely transfer from chair to walker to bed. That will take a lot of time.
But she is back, and I am so thankful. There's this old bible story, where Lazarus spends three days in the grave until Jesus calls him out. Today I am thinking my mom is a lot like Lazarus.
Monday, December 06, 2010
Should be packing...
I am on an insanely early flight to Toronto. Plane takes off at 5:15.
But I'm tired and I feel lazy and unmotivated. Worried.
We did find out, finally, that my mom has pneumonia in both her lungs. Not good but at least it is a diagnosis. I sure am glad I booked that flight when I did. The other sisters will likely take a turn later in the month or early in the new year, depending on how things go.
Anyway, I really should be packing. So. Off I go.
On a happier note...
Netflix + 1980s + Johnny Depp = 21 Jump Street = Nostalgia + happiness + fabulous clothing.
We all need our little escapes, don't we?
But I'm tired and I feel lazy and unmotivated. Worried.
We did find out, finally, that my mom has pneumonia in both her lungs. Not good but at least it is a diagnosis. I sure am glad I booked that flight when I did. The other sisters will likely take a turn later in the month or early in the new year, depending on how things go.
Anyway, I really should be packing. So. Off I go.
On a happier note...
Netflix + 1980s + Johnny Depp = 21 Jump Street = Nostalgia + happiness + fabulous clothing.
We all need our little escapes, don't we?
Sunday, December 05, 2010
Hospital
My mom is in the hospital.
Not sure of all the reasons--sounds like she basically had water for blood--down on all minerals, electrolytes, potassium. All the stuff that makes your body function, that we mostly don't think about.
And so when she couldn't walk or even stand, she went in for tests and such.
I really, really hope they keep her there for a while and finally, actually figure out what is going on.
Kudos to my big brother for helping when necessary, and prayers, please.
Growing older. Not for the faint of heart.
Not sure of all the reasons--sounds like she basically had water for blood--down on all minerals, electrolytes, potassium. All the stuff that makes your body function, that we mostly don't think about.
And so when she couldn't walk or even stand, she went in for tests and such.
I really, really hope they keep her there for a while and finally, actually figure out what is going on.
Kudos to my big brother for helping when necessary, and prayers, please.
Growing older. Not for the faint of heart.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)