WOW! Two and a half years since my last blog. Since I got on Facebook, my need to blog diminished. Being able to post a short status is less time consuming, but not near as satisfying. So, here goes my latest.
First, a little “catch up” on the events of the last couple of years.
Ice Storm 2009 hit our area on January 26. Russ and I considered ourselves very fortunate because our power was restored in one week. Some went over a month without service. During that time, we spent one night at Susanna's and then evacuated to TN to be with Kevin, both times taking Phoebe with us. I'm glad we did. That gave Russ and Kevin time to spend with each other. Susanna and Jamie offered for us to stay with them because they had a generator and kept one room warm, but six people in one room and not being able to flush the toilet was not a good thing, especially since Kevin wanted us with him and he was the only one in an entire house and was not affected by the ice storm.
At the last blog, Russ was losing weight. That continued for a few months. He finally decided to have the surgery in Vanderbilt for the multiple aneurysms, even though the odds were not good. He came very close to dying on the operating table, and the doctors were not able to do all the surgeries they had planned. After being semi-comatose for two weeks, with only a few moments of being able to communicate with us, he did not survive. This was the first of many changes that have taken place in my life since that time.
Next was the change of bowling centers. The one I had frequented for 25 years was closed. Since I need that physical activity and interaction with people outside of church, I joined a league several miles away. Many of my friends from the former lanes also joined his league, so those friendships continue, and new ones were started.
Then, a situation arose that has effects still continuing today - one that motivated my entire family to change our church membership of 43 years. I will not go into details here because that is not something I want to reveal publicly.
I was elected and installed President Elect of our Regional Women’s Ministry - not without undercurrents.
Since I no longer teach Sunday School, or assist in a Bible Study, I have more free time, but must admit I do not use it wisely. Instead of continuing to study the scriptures, I find myself crafting or computing. My faith hasn’t wavered, but has not grown either. I need to get back to the study.
One granddaughter had a serious car accident; one became the object of bullying; one has gotten married; one has moved in with her father. The grandson has become very involved in basketball.
The make-up of my friends has changed. Some have gotten closer and some have grown less close. I was expecting this to happen, but the reasons were different than I thought would cause this.
I have always considered myself self-sufficient (not by choice - would have loved someone to take care of me, but that didn’t happen), but now when I get “over my head” in circumstances, I have to call someone to help.
My mother (now 91½) is becoming more and more dependent on me. Friends offer to do things for her and she won’t let them. She says “Sidney will take care of it for me.” She doesn’t let new people into her life. When she falls and has to call for help, she becomes very stubborn with medical help, and when they insist, she gets offensive with them. Her weight is slowly declining and that is a concern for the doctor and me. She has had MRSA outbreaks twice. One place on her face continues to flare and now we are adding another doctor to our ever growing list. The last hospitalization, which was for blood transfusion, added a surgeon because her veins are no longer sufficient to take blood. We are now having 3-5 doctor appointments per week. So far, I have managed to work my appointments around her schedule; when I have a conflict, guess whose appointment has to change!
That’s about all I can emotionally deal with right now. I will try to actually blog further at a later time.
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