Visiting Old Age

My brother and I have been handling health issues for our parents all this week. Our Mom has dementia, she has no short term memory and her long term memory varies by day and hour. My Dad needs to be evaluated since he seems to not be able to make decisions which affect life and death let alone everyday decisions.

Last Friday my Dad started to feel ill, he had been to the Dr. the day before for a follow up checkup, but didn’t alert anyone that he didn’t feel well. We keep in touch with them, but if they tell you they are fine when they really aren’t and you are over two hours away, this causes definite problems.

By Sunday my Dad was seriously ill and I could hear it in his voice, he had denied sickness up to this point. My brother (who had been out of town also) and I rushed to our parents house to get Dad to the hospital since he refused to call anyone. He is now recovering from the life threatening infections that he has, I had to bring my Mom home with me which caused her great distress since she has no short term memory. I patiently answered her constant questions-why am I here, where am I, where is Dad, why is Dad in the hospital, what is wrong with him? She didn’t want to go to bed, I would have to gently prod her to please lay down Mom, I think you are tired. She was by my side morning to night, asking, searching, trying to understand her plight while my brother was with Dad.

Mom and Dad were reunited yesterday, I stocked the refrigerator, fed them and made sure of food for the rest of the week, answered questions and encouraged them. My brother will stay with them for a few days, then it will be my turn again. There are so many things that need to be decided, they really are not able to take care of themselves, but think that they are. It breaks my heart to watch my Mom struggle with trying to figure our what she doesn’t know and not know why she doesn’t know. Dad is stubborn and doesn’t want to listen, he only wants to talk non-stop.

So my brother and I are going forward together, slowly dealing with what is, looking for what is ahead and praying for wisdom to make good decisions to take care of Mom and Dad and let them have as much of their lives while we still try to deal with our own.

This is not going to be easy, but we are committed.

What is your Passion?

Everyone has a passion(s). A newborn baby has a passion for being fed, or to be held and snuggled. A toddler has a passion for what they want at any given moment, especially their Mommy or Daddy. After three years old, children have a passion for whatever toy is bing advertised on TV, or they want the toy someone else is playing with. When we start school we have a passion about who we are, where do we belong?

The lines of passion blur when you are a tween or teenager, “raging hormone disease” causes us to have varied mood swings about what we are passionate about at any given moment. The “in” clothes, music, TV shows, sports stars, hanging with friends, who we “are in love with” at the moment and experimenting with things we were warned to stay away from.

Some in college know their passion and grow in it immediately, some live in a haze of partying, abuse of freedom and “what’s next”. Some passions are with the crowd, sports, cars, money, who’s dating who and career choices ahead.

We all have God given passions, the love for others, the ability to manage, the ability to encourage, discernment, the ability to lead and teach. As we go through our lives, we develope new passions and leave behind some passions that need to be developed but aren’t because of our situation or lack of desire to accomplish the goal.

When you think of family memebers or your friends, I am sure that you can define their passion(s). Passion is what drives us in our daily lives. In Columbus Ohio where I live, Buckeye Football and Basketball are a really big deal!!! We have many passionate fans of OSU sports of any nature! We have lots of fans that are passionate for Pelatonia, Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, all to fight cancer.

I am a car geek, I love the Corvette shows, the Street Rods, and would love to go the the Greenwich CT car show where the most amazing automobiles only come out once a year. I also have a passion for people, I love to meet people and learn from them, and encourage them.

One thing is for sure, when I am gone, I hope that I will be remembered for those whose lives I touched, my family, my grandchildren and many friends and acquaintances whose life paths crossed mine. I wish I knew more about my great grandmother. I know things about her, but now that my grandma is gone and my mom has Alzheimer disease, the ability to learn more is not available. My favorite Uncle is very ill with lung cancer. He has friends all over the world. He has many passions that made him successful in life that would be valuable to future generations. How will we preserve them? How will my grandchildren know the life lessons of this wonderful man?

Please click on my survey button and share your thoughts. I have a passion to change how we remember those who matter to us, and I appreciate your feedback.

Remember to share your passions with the younger generation, they will be blessed by them!

Robin