My mom laid to rest her baby sister yesterday (2/14/09). It has been an emotional week for her. The worst part of it is that she has not been able to really cry because of her illness. If she lets herself get too emotional her lungs will tighten up on her and it becomes difficult for her to breathe. She also develops a very strong tremor. That's how Parkinson's Disease reacts to emotions. So, the stress of not being able to cry has really had a tiring effect on her little body. I gave her a Tylenol last night so that she could relax and get some rest.
While we were sitting and relaxing, watching TV her other sister, my Aunt Julia, called to see how she was doing and if it would be possible for her to come by and visit with her for a short time. I noticed that there was a sadness to her voice so I said, of course. I told mom that it sounded as if Aunt Julia needed her older sister. Mom said, really!? So, sure enough when Aunt Julia arrived I hugged her and she hugged me hard then she asked where mom was and I led her to the den. She went straight to mom and hugged her really tight and they both had a very good cry in each other's arms. It was what they both really needed. The saddest moment was when mom told Aunt Julia, we're all we have. It was sad because in reality they have 2 other sisters but those 2 other sisters decided about 30 years ago that they wanted nothing to do with their family. One went as far as to say that she was not to be contacted whenever one of her siblings passed away because she did not care.
Wow, I just can't imagine not wanting the love of my family. I will be the first to admit that my brothers & sisters and I do not agree on everything and we are far from perfect but I know that I will always be able to count on them to be there for me when I need them. That is how we were raised by our parents. Dad always told us that it doesn't matter who you marry, where you go, or how much you stay away from your family, your blood will never change. You will always be part of this family and that is the one thing that nothing and no one will ever be able to change, not even you. When it seems that no one else is there, your brothers and sisters will always be there. They will be a part of you and you a part of them even after you die because you all share the same blood, mine and your mothers.
His one piece of advice he gave to us all was, don't ever stop talking to each other. That would be the one way to truly dishonor me and your mother. And if I die and see that you all are not speaking to each other, I will come down from heaven and kick some butts. Always remember that each time you begin a new day, you represent the person your mom and I created. You never want people to say, "Oh no, here he/she comes again." you want them to say, "Hey, here he/she comes." Be as proud of yourselves as I and your mom are of each and everyone of you and never, ever, stop loving each other.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Ok, now I know I'm old!
First clue: My doctor had me schedule my first colonoscopy. Woohoo!! I'm scheduled for Tuesday 2/3/09 at 9:00am. Pray for me.
Second clue and most eyeopening of all: My sister and her husband borrowed my truck because they are in the process of moving into a house from their apartment. So, my sister picke me up from work. On the way home we were listening to some pretty good music and I asked her what station she was listening to. She said, "Oh no, that's Milton's (Tommy Jr.'s friend) IPOD. It was playing music like, "Hey Jude", "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", etc. The reality of my age set in when she added that Milton told her that it was his "OLDIES" music. O. M. G.!!!! I am now an OLDIES of the 60's, 70's, & 80's. I couldn't believe it. My music isn't OLDIES, it's Rock & Disco. Kids, what do they know. The OLDIES are the DooWop groups etc.
Please somebody, tell me it isn't so. Has our music now become Their OLDIES!?
Second clue and most eyeopening of all: My sister and her husband borrowed my truck because they are in the process of moving into a house from their apartment. So, my sister picke me up from work. On the way home we were listening to some pretty good music and I asked her what station she was listening to. She said, "Oh no, that's Milton's (Tommy Jr.'s friend) IPOD. It was playing music like, "Hey Jude", "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", etc. The reality of my age set in when she added that Milton told her that it was his "OLDIES" music. O. M. G.!!!! I am now an OLDIES of the 60's, 70's, & 80's. I couldn't believe it. My music isn't OLDIES, it's Rock & Disco. Kids, what do they know. The OLDIES are the DooWop groups etc.
Please somebody, tell me it isn't so. Has our music now become Their OLDIES!?
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Ouch!!!
Well, it had to happen. After 11 years of service at my job I fell. No really, I fell. Well, Ok, so I didn't really fall so much as the chair broke. We have some really flimsy chairs at work in the dining room. We were celebrating our January birthdays and a farewell to Fr. Orlando. I had already finished eating and we were all sharing stories about Fr. Orlando when all of a sudden I felt the chair begin to bend at my right hip. Before I knew it I was sinking then, plop, I was on the ground and I landed on a metal portion of the chair. Ouch!!!!!
My injury is right at the point where the cheek meets the thigh. I'm ok as along as I'm standing or lying down. It's when I sit or stand that it hurts. It's that bending motion that kills me.
All of the maintenance men were right on the spot to help me up but I was soooo embarassed that I told them I'm ok, just let me get up. Well, easier said than done because my butt began to hurt so, I had to take them up on their offers. Then our Children's Choir director who is also a marathon runner brought a ice pack (ice in a ziplock bag wrapped in a towel) and told me to sit on it to stop the bleeding on the inside from my pulled muscle. So there I am sitting on an ice pack. We all get up to leave and she tells me to take it to my office and continue to sit on it for a little while longer. Well, you guessed it. Ice melts, the bag sweats, the towel gets wet and so do my pants. Now not only does my butt hurt but I have wet pants and no dryer. Finally my pants dry and now I'm cold. Can I please just go home!!?????
I get home and when I get off the truck Ouch!!! I go to change clothes and have to sit to take off my compression hose, Ouch!!!! I have to stand up to go into the kitchen to fix supper for my mom, Ouch!!!! I fix supper and need to sit down and prop my legs up higher than my heart, Ouch!!!! I now have to get up and go to bed, Ouch!!!! I get in bed, Ouch!!!! I lie down, Ahhhhh!!!!!!!!! Goodnight!
My injury is right at the point where the cheek meets the thigh. I'm ok as along as I'm standing or lying down. It's when I sit or stand that it hurts. It's that bending motion that kills me.
All of the maintenance men were right on the spot to help me up but I was soooo embarassed that I told them I'm ok, just let me get up. Well, easier said than done because my butt began to hurt so, I had to take them up on their offers. Then our Children's Choir director who is also a marathon runner brought a ice pack (ice in a ziplock bag wrapped in a towel) and told me to sit on it to stop the bleeding on the inside from my pulled muscle. So there I am sitting on an ice pack. We all get up to leave and she tells me to take it to my office and continue to sit on it for a little while longer. Well, you guessed it. Ice melts, the bag sweats, the towel gets wet and so do my pants. Now not only does my butt hurt but I have wet pants and no dryer. Finally my pants dry and now I'm cold. Can I please just go home!!?????
I get home and when I get off the truck Ouch!!! I go to change clothes and have to sit to take off my compression hose, Ouch!!!! I have to stand up to go into the kitchen to fix supper for my mom, Ouch!!!! I fix supper and need to sit down and prop my legs up higher than my heart, Ouch!!!! I now have to get up and go to bed, Ouch!!!! I get in bed, Ouch!!!! I lie down, Ahhhhh!!!!!!!!! Goodnight!
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Well, treadmill here I come!
It's not a New Year's resolution, it's a prescription from one of my doctors. I have been having a constant pain on my left ankle on the inside bone. My M.D. sent me to a vascular surgeon and he did an ultrasound on my leg and said that the valves in both my legs are bad.
Bad news, there is no fix or cure for this. The blood that travels up and down my legs is not all coming back up and it is starting to gather around my shin area. Right now it is more noticeable on my left leg and barely on my right leg. If it goes untreated eventually I could develop ulcers on my leg that will begin to bleed out because the blood has no where to go.
Good news, we can keep any more blood from gathering there by:
1. Exercising
2. Losing weight
3. Burning out one of the veins in my leg ( out-patient laser surgery)
So, I have retrieved the treadmill I had given to my cousin Chonita, of course I aske if I could have it back and the reason that I needed it. My doctor has prescribed that I walk 30 minutes each day and begin a diet.
I have to admit when he first told me about my bad valves I began to cry and he asked my why I was crying and I told him about my dad having had 6 stints in his arteries because of blockage and was this happening to me. He assured me that this was in no way related to what dad had. He said this is something not even close to it. By exercising I will build up my leg muscles and the strong muscles will help pump that blood back to where it needs to go. He told me to not even think about blocked arteries. These valves are located in the lower part of my body and even though they can't go in and fix them we can help the blood flow better by taking the pressure of my legs.
I now have to wear compression hose on a daily basis to help ease the pressure from my legs and at the end of my day I have to take at least 30 minutes each day to elevate my legs higher than my heart to help the blood flow back up my leg.
Cito and I got the treadmill last night and I got on it to try it out. It still works. I need to buy some silicone spray for the ramp but it works just fine. I walked for 15 minutes this morning and plan to walk another 15 tonight. Cito recommended that I start at 15 minutes each time until Monday and then I can go 30 minutes non-stop.
My co-workers are really something else. When I told them about this they offered to walk with me during the first 30 minutes of our 1 hour lunch break. We are going to walk around the top floor of our Religious Education building for 30 minutes each day and then have our lunch the last 30 minutes. They didn't want me to walk alone and they said they needed to walk, too.
Please pray that God give me the strength to continue on this journey.
Bad news, there is no fix or cure for this. The blood that travels up and down my legs is not all coming back up and it is starting to gather around my shin area. Right now it is more noticeable on my left leg and barely on my right leg. If it goes untreated eventually I could develop ulcers on my leg that will begin to bleed out because the blood has no where to go.
Good news, we can keep any more blood from gathering there by:
1. Exercising
2. Losing weight
3. Burning out one of the veins in my leg ( out-patient laser surgery)
So, I have retrieved the treadmill I had given to my cousin Chonita, of course I aske if I could have it back and the reason that I needed it. My doctor has prescribed that I walk 30 minutes each day and begin a diet.
I have to admit when he first told me about my bad valves I began to cry and he asked my why I was crying and I told him about my dad having had 6 stints in his arteries because of blockage and was this happening to me. He assured me that this was in no way related to what dad had. He said this is something not even close to it. By exercising I will build up my leg muscles and the strong muscles will help pump that blood back to where it needs to go. He told me to not even think about blocked arteries. These valves are located in the lower part of my body and even though they can't go in and fix them we can help the blood flow better by taking the pressure of my legs.
I now have to wear compression hose on a daily basis to help ease the pressure from my legs and at the end of my day I have to take at least 30 minutes each day to elevate my legs higher than my heart to help the blood flow back up my leg.
Cito and I got the treadmill last night and I got on it to try it out. It still works. I need to buy some silicone spray for the ramp but it works just fine. I walked for 15 minutes this morning and plan to walk another 15 tonight. Cito recommended that I start at 15 minutes each time until Monday and then I can go 30 minutes non-stop.
My co-workers are really something else. When I told them about this they offered to walk with me during the first 30 minutes of our 1 hour lunch break. We are going to walk around the top floor of our Religious Education building for 30 minutes each day and then have our lunch the last 30 minutes. They didn't want me to walk alone and they said they needed to walk, too.
Please pray that God give me the strength to continue on this journey.
Merry Christmas To Everyone
So, how did everyone spend their Christmas? We spent it at my brother Frank's home with his wife Maria and stepdaughter Audrey. It was really nice. It was my first visit to their home and it is beautiful. I fell in love with a great recliner/rocker that they have. We all met their for dinner and gift exchange. My family has always celebrated Christmas on Christmas Eve with dinner and gift exchange and this has really worked out well for my married brothers & sisters because their in-laws do Christmas on Christmas Day. Isnt' it neat how God fits people together.
We had a great dinner and we all received some great gifts. My sister Ramona and her family weren't with us and we were also missing my nephew Tommy, Jr. Ramona lives in Nederland, TX and her children and grandchildren live down there too, so she was with them. Tommy, Jr. was with his Mom but he'll be with us for New Year's.
My Christmas wish for everyone is that God continue to fill your families with His blessings.
We had a great dinner and we all received some great gifts. My sister Ramona and her family weren't with us and we were also missing my nephew Tommy, Jr. Ramona lives in Nederland, TX and her children and grandchildren live down there too, so she was with them. Tommy, Jr. was with his Mom but he'll be with us for New Year's.
My Christmas wish for everyone is that God continue to fill your families with His blessings.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
December 7, 2008
Well, it's been 4 years to the day that our dad passed away. I don't know if my siblings do this but I find myself, since Thanksgiving Day, reliving each of the events that took place up until dad's death. He went into the hospital on Thanksgiving Day, 2004 and never came home.
I can recall each day and how he looked. We all would visit him constantly and I remember what the doctors would tell me and how I got the call from his doctor the day he died saying dad wanted them to call mom and me and let us know that they were taking him to ICU before he would let them take him. He wanted to tell mom how much he loved her. He told her 3 times before he hung up. I remember the look on the doctor's face when he told me that he wasn't responding to the CPR and should they continue. The doctor saying that he went so fast the doctor didn't have a chance to do anything. But what I remember most is the day he died I had gone to see him during my lunch hour and when I left they had hooked him up to an IV giving him blook because he had lost some overnight, but the way they hooked it up when I went to kiss him goodbye I couldn't reach him. I stretched over the machine as much as possible and he did too but we couldn't reach each other. So we gave each other an air kiss. If I had known that it was going to be my last chance to kiss my dad I would have found a way to get to him.
Never take any moment in life for granted and never wait until tomorrow to let someone know how much you love them. Tomorrow may never come. You know you hear people tell you this all the time but until you've experienced the loss of a tomorrow, you won't understand it. So, to my family who will read this, just know that I love you, I love you, I love you.
I can recall each day and how he looked. We all would visit him constantly and I remember what the doctors would tell me and how I got the call from his doctor the day he died saying dad wanted them to call mom and me and let us know that they were taking him to ICU before he would let them take him. He wanted to tell mom how much he loved her. He told her 3 times before he hung up. I remember the look on the doctor's face when he told me that he wasn't responding to the CPR and should they continue. The doctor saying that he went so fast the doctor didn't have a chance to do anything. But what I remember most is the day he died I had gone to see him during my lunch hour and when I left they had hooked him up to an IV giving him blook because he had lost some overnight, but the way they hooked it up when I went to kiss him goodbye I couldn't reach him. I stretched over the machine as much as possible and he did too but we couldn't reach each other. So we gave each other an air kiss. If I had known that it was going to be my last chance to kiss my dad I would have found a way to get to him.
Never take any moment in life for granted and never wait until tomorrow to let someone know how much you love them. Tomorrow may never come. You know you hear people tell you this all the time but until you've experienced the loss of a tomorrow, you won't understand it. So, to my family who will read this, just know that I love you, I love you, I love you.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Thanksgiving Weekend
Wow, we had a great weekend. My sister Ramona came up from Nederland, Tx with her husband Tim. They stayed with Mom & me here at the house. We started our weekend by attending 9:00am Mass on Thanksgiving morning. It was a really nice Mass dedicated to our dad. It also would have been his 82 birthday. After Mass we went to my sister Maria's apartment where her in-laws were going to celebrate their Thanksgiving. Yes, we crashed their celebration. Not really, Maria invited us. After filling our bellies we came home and stayed up late watching a movie and eating ice cream.
Friday Ramona & Tim went shopping all day. Mom and I stayed in and I took advantage of the time to do some housework. When Ramona & Tim returned they began to fix up Mom's bathroom. It really looks nice now. All that is left to do is paint and cover her window.
Saturday we all met at the cemetery to take dad his birthday balloons. It was really a beautiful sight seeing all those balloons going up to heaven with our special messages on them. Of course mine got caught in the trees and popped. But I know that dad got my message anyway. We later went to Luby's to eat lunch and then back to Mom's house for some fun.
We spent the afternoon playing cherades pictionary style. I came up with 14 different movie titles and you had to draw out the title and see if anyone could guess the movie. Of course, this group needed some motivation after filling their bellies with food so, I told them that as they won a game they could choose from my library of VHS movies and take the one they wanted. It worked because they later began strategizing with each other as to which movies to go for next.
Cito, I hope none of them were yours.
John & Jacque left about 7:30pm and Maria left about 10:00pm. All in all we had a really good time. We were missing our brother Cito but he and his wife were celebrating her parents 50th anniversary in Iowa. Besides we'll be together again for Christmas but this time we'll be missing Ramona & Tim.
I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving, too.
Friday Ramona & Tim went shopping all day. Mom and I stayed in and I took advantage of the time to do some housework. When Ramona & Tim returned they began to fix up Mom's bathroom. It really looks nice now. All that is left to do is paint and cover her window.
Saturday we all met at the cemetery to take dad his birthday balloons. It was really a beautiful sight seeing all those balloons going up to heaven with our special messages on them. Of course mine got caught in the trees and popped. But I know that dad got my message anyway. We later went to Luby's to eat lunch and then back to Mom's house for some fun.
We spent the afternoon playing cherades pictionary style. I came up with 14 different movie titles and you had to draw out the title and see if anyone could guess the movie. Of course, this group needed some motivation after filling their bellies with food so, I told them that as they won a game they could choose from my library of VHS movies and take the one they wanted. It worked because they later began strategizing with each other as to which movies to go for next.
Cito, I hope none of them were yours.
John & Jacque left about 7:30pm and Maria left about 10:00pm. All in all we had a really good time. We were missing our brother Cito but he and his wife were celebrating her parents 50th anniversary in Iowa. Besides we'll be together again for Christmas but this time we'll be missing Ramona & Tim.
I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving, too.
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