Posted 11/5/21
“As you do not know the path of the wind,
or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb,
so you cannot understand the work of God,
the Maker of all things.” –Ecclesiastes 11:5
Hi all! Happy Friday already! Wow…the weeks fly by like sands through an hourglass!
I don’t have much to say or report today…just a grain of encouragement:
Keep visiting (as often as you can) and keep loving them, even thru the sometimes blank stares. Just do. Here are a couple of quick reasons why:
- For you– One of the ways I have made sense of the last baker’s dozen of years with mom is something akin to the old adage “fake it ’til you make it”. I talk to mom quite a bit when I visit. She seldom, if ever (now especially) acknowledges my statements…but I assume she does. When I catch someone talking about her instead of to her I move the conversation. Put yourself in his/her place, as best you can without being profoundly sad. What if they want to respond and can’t? That is why I don’t ask questions…I use declarative sentences more often than not. When I break out the pictures, instead of the “Do you remember this trip to the lake?” I say “Hey…this is when we went to the lake! Sooooo fun!”. That allows him/her, if they are grasping it, to smile on the inside and not feel bad/less than/broken. You are multiplying joy and dividing sorrow all at once. Also, visiting and sharing life in this way helps us make sense of it all. It doesn’t fix it, but it at least makes lemonade out of the radishes we are given. Our purpose may just be to share love with nothing obvious in return….just like Christ did.
- For them– We just don’t know what they know. It is better to assume they do know and love on them than to be wrong and compound the sadness.
- For the pearl– Watch this remarkable video by Teepa Snow, with attention especially to the end:
I pray for you to get a “pearl” moment this weekend. I get one occasionally and love it. 🙂
Have a great weekend! I will see you Monday with bells on.
#EndALZ
Update: Had a nice visit with mom yesterday. I didn’t get much activity from her, but it was a blessing to sit in the same room and share life with her.
