On Sunday afternoon Rick and I went over to see his mom. With each visit we are surprised at how she changes and it is sad to see how little we can do about it. We had only been there a few minutes when John and his family arrived. The boys came this time and they hadn't seen their grandma since Thanksgiving. We visited with her and exchanged a few stories, but she really didn't participate much. When it was time to leave it was decided with so many family members there it would be appropriate to give her a blessing.
I couldn't help but look up and in my line of vision I could see hand upon hand upon hand of her sons and grandsons placed every so gently on her head. What a wonderful thing we do when we bless those we love. It gives us the opportunity to say what sometimes comes so hard in a regular conversation.
Last night the family was notified that Grandma can no longer stay is this lovely facility. Her needs have moved her beyond what they are capable of providing. The next stage is a nursing home with none of the enticing amenities that River Meadows provided. Now it will be a bed with a railing, cramped quarters, and a special jacuzzi bath tub. We are all heartsick, but she is spiraling downward at such a rapid pace that we are constantly surprised by each new thing we must face.
I visualize all those hands on her head and it is comforting to know that she feels the love we have for her. This is a hard process for us all.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
INTERESTING TURN OF EVENTS
February 20,2008
Yesterday afternoon I was called to the showroom and found Warren waiting for me with a CD in hand. He had scanned all the old photo albums and created a CD containing pictures of Cory and Brian. I was truly surprised in more ways than one. These are the pictures I was told I could never have. It was thoughtful he chose to talk with me because he could have just left it at the front desk. I suppose he wanted to explain a bit about the process of making the CD, but he didn't say what prompted him to do it. There are things I will never know but it certainly was a gesture that helps bind the wound. The future events we attend together may not be as strained. I told him how much I appreciated his thoughtfulness and through tears told him how much the pictures meant to me.
Although I wanted to race home and enjoy the CD it was necessary to make a trip over to River Meadows for Grandma Whittaker. She has been very restless and Rick and I spent several hours with her trying to ease her concerns and keep her company. We never knew she would fail so rapidly and this process is a trying one. We go home with heavy hearts and are anxious to know what we can do as a family to help her.
I have a Valentines' card posted on my bulletin board at work that has Jeffrey's hand print! These are the little things I look at each day that remind me of how blessed I am.
Yesterday afternoon I was called to the showroom and found Warren waiting for me with a CD in hand. He had scanned all the old photo albums and created a CD containing pictures of Cory and Brian. I was truly surprised in more ways than one. These are the pictures I was told I could never have. It was thoughtful he chose to talk with me because he could have just left it at the front desk. I suppose he wanted to explain a bit about the process of making the CD, but he didn't say what prompted him to do it. There are things I will never know but it certainly was a gesture that helps bind the wound. The future events we attend together may not be as strained. I told him how much I appreciated his thoughtfulness and through tears told him how much the pictures meant to me.
Although I wanted to race home and enjoy the CD it was necessary to make a trip over to River Meadows for Grandma Whittaker. She has been very restless and Rick and I spent several hours with her trying to ease her concerns and keep her company. We never knew she would fail so rapidly and this process is a trying one. We go home with heavy hearts and are anxious to know what we can do as a family to help her.
I have a Valentines' card posted on my bulletin board at work that has Jeffrey's hand print! These are the little things I look at each day that remind me of how blessed I am.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Youth Fireside
February 18, 2008
Yesterday we had a Stake Youth Fireside that featured Gene R. Cook as the guest speaker. Rick and I figured if we just slipped in the back who would notice. Unfortunately about 300 other people had the same thought, but it was nice to see the fireside so well attended. Elder Cook had the youth sit up front and he tried to greet and shake the hands of as many as he could before the meeting began. He delivered a powerful message concerning issues like the word of wisdom, chastity, music, etc., and we went away believing he addressed the issues head on and hopefully gave the youth something to think about. He spoke of how he became converted and challenged the youth to be converted themselves instead of leaning on someone else. He was trying to teach them to think ahead and already decide what your answer should be before you were in a tight situation. Anyone coming with the idea of being fed certainly was. I wrote down a few observations and will share them when I can.
His wife delivered the best story though. She explained how they had gone to a small community for a funeral and after the services were trying to make their way out of town but couldn't seem to find the interstate entrance. After several failed attempts, including getting directions from passersby, they struck up a conversation with someone in a green truck who offered to drive in front of them and get them to the entrance. Unfortunately, as they got closer to the interstate Elder Cook thought he recognized where he should turn and left the green truck. Bad guess and they were lost again. As they made their way back to the main road, up from behind came the green truck. The driver leaned out his window and said he'd like to try again to show them the way, but this time he called Elder Cook by name and asked him not to deviate from the course. Talk about being embarrassed, but they followed him and this time made it to the entrance. Her message was "don't deviate from the course."
Rick's mom is declining rapidly and they have been trying several alternatives to make sure she is comfortable. Evidently she has been crying out in the night and the other residents can hear her and are concerned for her. She seems to be doing a lot of falling because she won't wait for help to come. She tries to get out of bed herself when she is just too weak to do so. The idea now is to get some medication that will help her sleep through the night. We are concerned that she might need to be moved somewhere else where the care is much more hands on. It appears she needs almost constant supervision now, but River Meadows is doing what they can.
It's great to finally see the sky clear and the snow begin to melt. There is record snowfall in the mountains and it will be interesting to see how full the reservoirs get this summer. Brimming we hope because we have been in a drought situation for the last four or five years.
Yesterday we had a Stake Youth Fireside that featured Gene R. Cook as the guest speaker. Rick and I figured if we just slipped in the back who would notice. Unfortunately about 300 other people had the same thought, but it was nice to see the fireside so well attended. Elder Cook had the youth sit up front and he tried to greet and shake the hands of as many as he could before the meeting began. He delivered a powerful message concerning issues like the word of wisdom, chastity, music, etc., and we went away believing he addressed the issues head on and hopefully gave the youth something to think about. He spoke of how he became converted and challenged the youth to be converted themselves instead of leaning on someone else. He was trying to teach them to think ahead and already decide what your answer should be before you were in a tight situation. Anyone coming with the idea of being fed certainly was. I wrote down a few observations and will share them when I can.
His wife delivered the best story though. She explained how they had gone to a small community for a funeral and after the services were trying to make their way out of town but couldn't seem to find the interstate entrance. After several failed attempts, including getting directions from passersby, they struck up a conversation with someone in a green truck who offered to drive in front of them and get them to the entrance. Unfortunately, as they got closer to the interstate Elder Cook thought he recognized where he should turn and left the green truck. Bad guess and they were lost again. As they made their way back to the main road, up from behind came the green truck. The driver leaned out his window and said he'd like to try again to show them the way, but this time he called Elder Cook by name and asked him not to deviate from the course. Talk about being embarrassed, but they followed him and this time made it to the entrance. Her message was "don't deviate from the course."
Rick's mom is declining rapidly and they have been trying several alternatives to make sure she is comfortable. Evidently she has been crying out in the night and the other residents can hear her and are concerned for her. She seems to be doing a lot of falling because she won't wait for help to come. She tries to get out of bed herself when she is just too weak to do so. The idea now is to get some medication that will help her sleep through the night. We are concerned that she might need to be moved somewhere else where the care is much more hands on. It appears she needs almost constant supervision now, but River Meadows is doing what they can.
It's great to finally see the sky clear and the snow begin to melt. There is record snowfall in the mountains and it will be interesting to see how full the reservoirs get this summer. Brimming we hope because we have been in a drought situation for the last four or five years.
Friday, February 15, 2008
WORST STORM EVER...
Wednesday, February 13, 2008, was pretty much the worst storm of the season yet. It hit just around the time people were beginning to head home from work. The freeways stacked up fast and there were major accidents within the first hour of the storm front passing through. Unfortunately the storm stalled. One of our newest employees, who lives in Eagle Mountain, which is west of Saratoga Springs, left work about 4:15 p.m. and didn't arrive home until after 11:00 p.m. When she finally got within four miles of her home all the main traffic arteries were closed because of accidents and she had to sit on the road for three hours without moving. We had children snowed in at schools, the entrances to the freeways blocked, and raging winds swirling the snow to whiteout conditions. At the end of the day it left about a foot of snow behind; two feet dropped in Tooele.
And as I look out of my window today it's hard to tell it ever happened. The snow has dried completely from the roads and the stacked snow is melting quickly. Ahhh, Utah.
Rick and Marilyn went over on Valentines to visit with Grandma Whittaker at River Meadows. It's heartbreaking to see how dramatically she is changing. Marilyn cried all the way home because of how she felt about seeing her mom decline. Aging can be such a sad process.
At the Empty Nester's Family Home Evening we had a missionary couple, the Henderson's, speak to us and they had recently returned from South America where they served somewhere in the Congo. They were not the typical humanitarian service missionary, they were actually 1200 miles away from the mission home spreading the word as best they could by the passable French they knew. It was quite a story. The surprise is how prepared these people are for the message. They know their bible, they already live the word of wisdom, and they also understand tithing. So when they hear the story of the vision and the translation of the Book of Mormon they are truly willing to pray for an answer as to whether it is true after they have actually read the Book of Mormon. They said the male members of the tribe are the ones who come to investigate and are baptized before they ever invite their own family to come and see what the church is all about. Their favorite story is about a young man who sought them out, accepted the message, was baptized and had accepted a position in the church when his young wife appeared one day with two children in tow. She came to see what this church was all about because it had changed her husband so entirely. Another convert spoke at the baptism of one of his friends and held high an Ensign where he had turned the page to a picture of Jesus. He folded it in half and explained that was how he slept at night with his new friend acting as his pillow.
And as I look out of my window today it's hard to tell it ever happened. The snow has dried completely from the roads and the stacked snow is melting quickly. Ahhh, Utah.
Rick and Marilyn went over on Valentines to visit with Grandma Whittaker at River Meadows. It's heartbreaking to see how dramatically she is changing. Marilyn cried all the way home because of how she felt about seeing her mom decline. Aging can be such a sad process.
At the Empty Nester's Family Home Evening we had a missionary couple, the Henderson's, speak to us and they had recently returned from South America where they served somewhere in the Congo. They were not the typical humanitarian service missionary, they were actually 1200 miles away from the mission home spreading the word as best they could by the passable French they knew. It was quite a story. The surprise is how prepared these people are for the message. They know their bible, they already live the word of wisdom, and they also understand tithing. So when they hear the story of the vision and the translation of the Book of Mormon they are truly willing to pray for an answer as to whether it is true after they have actually read the Book of Mormon. They said the male members of the tribe are the ones who come to investigate and are baptized before they ever invite their own family to come and see what the church is all about. Their favorite story is about a young man who sought them out, accepted the message, was baptized and had accepted a position in the church when his young wife appeared one day with two children in tow. She came to see what this church was all about because it had changed her husband so entirely. Another convert spoke at the baptism of one of his friends and held high an Ensign where he had turned the page to a picture of Jesus. He folded it in half and explained that was how he slept at night with his new friend acting as his pillow.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
With the snow softly falling outside it seems a nice time to be inside. Today is February 2, 2008, and we have at least six inches of snow. It's been falling since early this morning and although Rick used the snow blower to clear the driveway before he left to go out of town, it's as if it never happened. The flakes are massive and I can now see neighbors out with their equipment trying to dig out before church. It's supposed to continue through the day so tomorrow's commute will be a challenge.
There have been some highs and some lows here at home since Rick and I made our trip to Germany. It was hard to get back into the groove of things once we arrived home. It was so much fun to be able to have such a casual schedule and just enjoy each other while in Germany. Being with Cory, Tricia, and Jeffrey was the best way to spend the holiday. Of all the things that we saw I was most impressed by Rotenburg, a community that still has a medieval wall surrounding it, about two hours away from Grafenwoher. Cory and I had the opportunity to walk around a portion of it in the still of a dark, cold night and it was stunning. I am so glad we had the chance to travel overseas. It was an experience I will long remember.
Upon our arrival home we found Rick's mother to have moved from an active 89 year old who was driving herself to the store to someone who wasn't recognizing day from night. She had taken a fall in the night that had left her quite battered and bruised and unable to function. Because of her fragile condition as a family we determined the best thing, beyond us going by on a daily basis for an hour or so, was to see if we could get her into a facility that could be available for her every need all the time. We found a lovely assisted living home in Alpine named River Meadows.
She was using a walker to get around her own home but in the last week or so we have had to provide her with a wheelchair. The steady decline is disheartening but we are doing our best to make her comfortable. Rick and I stop by as often as we can and she's always delighted to have company. In fact, for Rick's birthday as a family we had dinner at River Meadows with mom so we could all be together.
Last Saturday my cousin Judie (Grandpa Ira's sister is her mom) had a tragedy in her family. Her daughter Amy, who has ridden a roller coaster of highs and lows, took her own life. She leaves a husband and two young sons. My hope is that her young family can pull together and keep moving forward. There could be so much to tell, but it's not my story. I just know there has been great sadness, a lot of guilt, and an unwillingness to accept responsibility for the present by constantly looking at the past. Although we don't know what goes on the in mind of someone in that state, sadly suicide is something our family is familiar with.
I am glad to report that this past week someone has filled the position of "Payroll" at work. That means that instead of playing two major roles, Accounts Payable and Payroll, I can now concentrate on one. As the staff has increased from 50 people to 135 the job of tracking everything you need to in payroll became difficult and at the same time I have been trying to handle an increased work load in accounts payable. Relief! I am excited because Brandy seems to be willing to tackle the job and she is doing well. I will try and pass on as much information as I can to make the transition smooth. My work area was divided so we could accommodate two cubicles so we are pretty close together but I don't sense that will be a problem.
Because this will ease the workload I may now be able to focus (literally) on other things. I have been running so hard at work that when I get home I just want dinner and bed. Yeah for change.
Well, I guess I better shovel the sidewalk.
There have been some highs and some lows here at home since Rick and I made our trip to Germany. It was hard to get back into the groove of things once we arrived home. It was so much fun to be able to have such a casual schedule and just enjoy each other while in Germany. Being with Cory, Tricia, and Jeffrey was the best way to spend the holiday. Of all the things that we saw I was most impressed by Rotenburg, a community that still has a medieval wall surrounding it, about two hours away from Grafenwoher. Cory and I had the opportunity to walk around a portion of it in the still of a dark, cold night and it was stunning. I am so glad we had the chance to travel overseas. It was an experience I will long remember.
Upon our arrival home we found Rick's mother to have moved from an active 89 year old who was driving herself to the store to someone who wasn't recognizing day from night. She had taken a fall in the night that had left her quite battered and bruised and unable to function. Because of her fragile condition as a family we determined the best thing, beyond us going by on a daily basis for an hour or so, was to see if we could get her into a facility that could be available for her every need all the time. We found a lovely assisted living home in Alpine named River Meadows.
She was using a walker to get around her own home but in the last week or so we have had to provide her with a wheelchair. The steady decline is disheartening but we are doing our best to make her comfortable. Rick and I stop by as often as we can and she's always delighted to have company. In fact, for Rick's birthday as a family we had dinner at River Meadows with mom so we could all be together.
Last Saturday my cousin Judie (Grandpa Ira's sister is her mom) had a tragedy in her family. Her daughter Amy, who has ridden a roller coaster of highs and lows, took her own life. She leaves a husband and two young sons. My hope is that her young family can pull together and keep moving forward. There could be so much to tell, but it's not my story. I just know there has been great sadness, a lot of guilt, and an unwillingness to accept responsibility for the present by constantly looking at the past. Although we don't know what goes on the in mind of someone in that state, sadly suicide is something our family is familiar with.
I am glad to report that this past week someone has filled the position of "Payroll" at work. That means that instead of playing two major roles, Accounts Payable and Payroll, I can now concentrate on one. As the staff has increased from 50 people to 135 the job of tracking everything you need to in payroll became difficult and at the same time I have been trying to handle an increased work load in accounts payable. Relief! I am excited because Brandy seems to be willing to tackle the job and she is doing well. I will try and pass on as much information as I can to make the transition smooth. My work area was divided so we could accommodate two cubicles so we are pretty close together but I don't sense that will be a problem.
Because this will ease the workload I may now be able to focus (literally) on other things. I have been running so hard at work that when I get home I just want dinner and bed. Yeah for change.
Well, I guess I better shovel the sidewalk.
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