Thank you to everyone who left such meaningful comments on my last post and especially those who shared your story with us. Stories are such a great way to connect hearts that have been through loss.
Steve’s mom, Vernie, was moved to pulmonary rehab last Friday where she will be for about a month. Her need for extra oxygen had gone way up earlier last week but came down enough for her doctors to be comfortable moving her. Steve stayed in Charlotte last week, helping her out.
My mom, Jo Ann, continues to receive loving care by family and by hospice. She was diagnosed yesterday with a severe urinary tract infection; once that is treated, she should be much more comfortable. She also has a hairline fracture in her shoulder which has been causing some pain but the doctor said it will heal on its own.
On the flight there, this was my view. May I just say how thrilling it is for an introvert to have all that space to herself? Happy day!
Sadly, when I arrived in Wisconsin and unpacked my bag, I discovered that I had forgotten all my medications–the most worrisome ones being my inhaler and two prescription meds specifically to help me breathe. If I had stayed much longer, I would have had to have them overnighted, especially since my lungs are still a bit wobbly from COVID. I made it through, although I could tell a big difference in how I felt.
Which leads to me landing back in Norfolk.
I had carefully noted in my phone the location of my car so that I could just walk straight to it. Juggling a large suitcase and a carry on, I walked fifteen minutes (stopping every four minutes to stand still and gasp for air) only to discover my car was nowhere to be found. It was 6:30 p.m., I had been up since 5 a.m. and I had two hours to drive home. This was not a good time to lose my car.
So I retraced my steps back to where I had started and took a few gasping moments to try and figure out what to do. I pulled out my phone and stared at the location again and then I searched my tired brain for solutions. And suddenly it hit me. I have a place in my phone for miscellaneous notes and that is where I had been looking for the car location. Turns out that what I had been looking at was actually the location of my car at the last hospital parking garage I had been in. The real location of my car was neatly tucked away under, “Wisconsin trip.”
So after fifteen more minutes of walking (and gasping), I finally caught a glimpse of my beloved car. My first impulse was to hug it but that would have been odd, so I just patted it lovingly and thanked the Lord that my brain had kicked in long enough to remember where I had written my location.
But enough about travel woes. You know me well enough to know that I couldn’t take a trip to Wisconsin and not grab some photos. Here are a few favorite.
One hen. One hen house.
Flowers in the bathroom? Yes, please.
Flowers in the dining room? Yes, please.
Looking off the back deck. This is where Mom has always liked to drink in every sight, smell, and sound.
There are birdhouses everywhere at Ruth and Arnold’s.
Someone gave Ruth this sign which I loved.
I got a smile out of this measuring cup made to look like a pan.
The Rehberg’s dogs are the very epitome of loyal companions.
My sister, Debbie, and I drove to and from Ruth’s house which is about two hours round trip. All along the way, we were on the lookout for Amish homesteads. We found this one . . .
as well as an Amish schoolhouse. You can’t see it in this photo, but there was a spiral of smoke coming out of the chimney. Such a cozy sight in the middle of the frozen countryside.
And speaking of frozen countryside, in the scant thirty minutes I had to wander by myself, I managed to run into a strewn-with-white gem of a place.
It’s hard to get the scale of the petite church building but it’s a small-scale replica of the first building constructed on that site.
I had forgotten what it was like to hear the sound of walking through packed snow. I also loved being completely alone, surrounded by nothing but whiteness. I know for those of you who live in snowy climes, walking in the snow might cease to be interesting after about ten minutes of winter. But for this Wisconsin girl, transplanted to the south, the snowy sounds and sights were a touch of heaven on earth.
I love this photo of my lovely, loving mother whose example through life has been my north star.
Rest well, Mama dear. May your dreams be filled with heaven.
Hugs, Becky. Thinking of you and your family often.
Kristina,
I appreciate you!
Such a sweet post. I love your photos. I’m glad you were able to spend time with your Mom.
I will continue to pray for you all.
Krista,
Glad you love the photos because I sure love taking them!
Thank you so much for the continued prayers.
prayers for both Moms…
I miss my bird feeders and little vases of flowers and fast children…
Mrs. Pam,
Awwww. What a sweet comment. Feeders, flowers, and fast children. They come and go too quicly.
I think I understand somewhat what you are going through with your Mom. It will be one year on the 28th that my almost 96 yo Mom went Home. She too was in Hospice but it was in the hospital as she went downhill suddenly. She recited a poem she had written as she was being moved from the hospital bed to the hospice bed. A week before she passed, I slipped/did a split on her kitchen floor and had to call 911. I was able to see my Mom after the ER visit but that was the last time I saw her as my leg was injured too much to make the trip back and forth. I lived with her for almost 10 years as her caregiver. It’s been a difficult adjustment to be back at my home after being gone so long. Prayers for a peaceful journey for your Mom.
Marylea,
Oh, how difficult for you not to be able to be with your mom more at the end, especially after being her caregiver for ten years. Bless you, for the way you cared for her and honored her in her last years. And thank you for your prayers.
Becky, thinking of your Mom with fond memories…times when she, your Dad and you and your siblings ministered together. Praying for the peace of God to fill all your hearts and minds. We love you! Pastors Terry & Sandra Roberts
Sandra,
How wonderful to see your name pop up here! I’ll forward your comment to Ruth so she can show mom. 🙂
We miss seeing you guys!
Love all of the photos Becky, especially the walk thru the snow .. crunch crunch !!!
Keeping you, Steve, Jo Ann & Vernie in my prayers.
Gloria
Gloria,
Yes, that crunching was very fun. 🙂
Thank you SO much for your prayers.
Love the pictures as usual. The different bird houses are so cute! Once upon a time, I tried to save the location of my car for future reference after a flight and it totally did not work, so I totally understand. LOL Too bad about the gasping for breath though. Yikes!
I’m glad that the moms are both doing better. Prayers for both of them!
LeeAnne,
It’s a really bad feeling to be wandering around a huge parking lot with no clue what direction to go. I’m glad my brain kicked in long enough to reminder where I put the actual location!
So thankful that they are treating your sweet Mama for that UTI. Those things are horrible and really seem to mess with our older folks’ minds. We could always tell when my grandmother had one because she would be so out of it.
Beautiful pictures, as always!
So glad you found your car and that you were able to make it without your meds!
Praying for both Mama Smith and Mama Campbell. Dreams of Heaven, indeed!
Suzanne,
Yes, I had no idea that a UTI could be so disruptive to health and well-being. So thankful it was found when it was. My aunt happened to be visiting and noticed the symptoms and suggested Ruth have Mom checked for it.
So enjoy all of your photos and video. Especially love the one with you and your mom. What a blessing I know she has been to you and the entire family. Pray Vernie will do well in rehab and that those that work with her will be patient. I say that because when my sister was in the memory care facility, a couple of them were not kind in how they talked to her and some of the others. It was like they didn’t treat them like adults, even tho’ their actions were childlike. It hurt to see that.
I loved the birdhouses. Before we went on vacation I loaded up two birdhouses I have – knew they would be empty in no time but wanted them to be fed for a while. Of course, when we got back they were empty and they must have been mad at me because I refilled one right away and they didn’t come back for 2 weeks. Think I am forgiven now.
Sharyn,
Nice to have the forgiveness of our bird friends! 🙂
I’m sorry your sister wasn’t treated well at her facility. So far Vernie has been fairly pleased although it’s difficult to get a speedy response to requests. I know many of the employees are overworked.
UTIs in the elderly can be so rough. They present so much differently than in younger folks. Glad hospice has that under control. Hope the pulmonary rehab will help Vernie!
When I lived in Tampa, I traveled to Atlanta and Jacksonville a lot. Fortunately the parking garage had little slips of paper at the elevator that you could take that showed what level and row you were parked on. Nothing worse than getting back from a trip and not being able to find your car. Several years ago when my cousin and I went to Hawaii, I got in around midnight. I think we had flown from Hawaii to Salt Lake City to KC where I changed airlines from Delta to Southwest. Pretty sure I then flew from KC to St. Louis to Tampa. Needless to say I was exhausted as we had left around 8:00 -10:00 the night before. Someone had dropped me at the airport and I took a cab home. Got in my garage and my neighbor had locked the deadbolt going into the house. Only problem was the key wouldn’t unlock the deadbolt anymore so I had to walk around the side of the house to the front door at midnight to get in the house. I was a little ticked as I had told her before not to lock the deadbolt from the inside.
I like walking in the snow as long as the temperature or windchill isn’t bone chilling like it was here last Thursday. We got about 8 inches of snow but it was way too cold to be out in it very long. Today the high was 70, tomorrow it’s supposed to be around 20!
Phyllis,
Oooh. Not a happy thing to discover a locked deadbolt when you are exhausted.
I agree. The snow walk would NOT have been appealing in colder weather but it was about 30 so I felt pretty comfy. 🙂
Such a joy to have you here. You brought sunshine to mom’s heart and ours as well! 🌞
Love, Deb
Deb,
I was overjoyed to be there. I think back to those days fondly.
Your mama is a darling little lady that I know I would fall in love with really quickly. Praying the Lord’s will be done in her life as well as your mother in law. I love the pictures of the Amish buildings. I read Amish romance books every single day and even though I don’t understand why they have the lifestyle they have, I do love reading about their lives. I have a chance to go to Pennsylvania in Sept. to Amish Country but won’t get to go.. our senior group is going. My hubby has to have major dental work and it will be in the thousands to get it all done..sigh. Hope all the rest of the family is doing good and I pray you do okay now that you have all your meds again. I would be afraid of not having mine every day. Have a blessed week. I will be praying for you all.
Kaye,
Yes, you would definitely fall in love with my mom. It doesn’t take long!
I am fascinated by the Amish lifestyle as well; while I also don’t understand completely why they do what they do, I do admire them for maintaining in a simpler lifestyle in a complicated world.
So sorry to hear about your husband’s dental work. Yikes. That’s a lot of money!
I’m glad to hear that both mommas seem to be doing better. I’ve checked back almost every day waiting for news. 💜 I think you have a Ford, right? I’m not sure what year it is but you may be able to use the Ford app to locate your car. You should definitely check if that’s an option! It’s helped me a time or 2. Continued prayers for the Mommas! 💜💜💜
Liz,
Thanks for checking in on us; so sweet of you to do that.
You have a good memory to recall that we have a Ford. Will definitely check into that app. Thanks for the heads up.
Those awful UTI’s! Whenever my mom’s dementia behavior worsened quickly, the first thing done was check for a UTI. Antibiotics helped immediately, but it was hard to see her in pain and even more confused. Glad your mom’s was found and treated, and that Steve’s mom is getting the rehab she needs.
Love the Revereware measuring pan! I had one and it disappeared some decades ago, but before microwaves it was perfect for melting butter and heating up small amounts of things.
If you ever lose your car like that again (and it is so easy to do), if all else fails, either press the “unlock” feature on your key fob or worst case, press the red panic button. If you are close enough, it will certainly alert you as to where it is. Just get the key in the ignition to turn off the alarm. I may or may not have had to do this!
Hoping you are getting a chance to de-stress a bit after all the “Mom” concerns.
Liz,
Oh, I hadn’t thought about the Revereware pan being a legit pan for heating things; I just thought it was a cute measuring cup. If I ever run across one in a thrift store, I will definitely grab it up!
Steve also suggested that I could have hit my unlock button but my keys were in my purse in the bottom of my big suitcase and I was only going to dig for those as a last ditch measure. 🙂
Love all your photos. That sign is great. My husband always remarks about the “slow children” at play. I actually had a little pan like that but never used it for measuring, that was our butter melter pan. I also have taken a trip and forgotten medication. Usually if you go to a pharmacy they can transfer the prescription and give you a refill or sometimes just enough to get you home. Once home you have to transfer the prescription back to your pharmacy. One pharmacy just gave me 4 pills once with no charge. I think it was because he didn’t want the hassel of transferring the precription. Glad you made it home safely.
Patti,
Steve has always commented about that sign, as well. 🙂
Good info on the pharmacy; I will definitely keep that in mind for future forgetful trips!