Posted 4-30-19
The shark-infested tidewaters receded yet again and all there is now are a few quiet clownfish, a happy but shy school of neon tetras and an occasional grumpy pair of bettas bickering over who gets the last saltwater Ho-Ho at the ole memory unit. (Oh, and don’t get me on a rant about those scary dolphins! Come on! Huge mammal fish that are super smart and nobody seems afraid of? Just wait until you get dragged away by one…) Oh, the good news and bad news and good news again! The ebb and flow of joy and sorrow in mom’s nursing care wears on us (and her) like a hurricane erodes the beach.
Yesterday’s visit was excellent! Who knew??? Mom was happy, was reasonably cogent, even saying her dad’s name in conversation at one point. The fever and extreme exhaustion replaced in 24 hours with cool and perky! Sigh. Not complaining, mind you. Not at all. 🙂 We are ecstatic that she is doing better…overjoyed! Even in the chaos of the never-ending talker/singer Mrs. L and the never-ending cleaner and bib folder Mrs. J, the extended visit was nice. 🙂 However, I say with a spritz of guilt, the ups and downs of care giving will always be a tiring mess.
Here are some wonderful videos my sis made of mom a mere week ago and she tries to keep her piano playing going, for her sake and for the sake of her friends:
Be careful letting your highs be to high and your lows be too low… Take it one day at a time. Enjoy the good times and brace for the less good.
Summary when things are great, like today: Just when we thought it was safe to go into the water again…we discover that we’re gonna need a bigger boat. 🙁 Shark chum!
The flip-side happens too. You go in expecting a bad day and you get surprised by joy. Never a dull moment…
I wonder what I will see today when I arrive???
#EndALZ
