Christ First Forum

My parents, siblings, and their families all live in northern IN. I am the "odd duck", having moved out of the state since I married my DH nearly 38 years ago. I've lived the last 33 years in AZ, but we generally can make it back to IN once a year to visit.

My parents are in their 80's now, and their health is really starting to deteriorate. They require help from visiting nurses and like agencies in order to continue living in their own home. My mother has been in and out of the hospitals and rehabilitation centers (nursing homes) for the past couple of years. She has heart problems; Dad is diabetic. Both are quickly losing their short-term memory abilities, though I would not classify their problems to be dementia at this point. I got a call from my brother two weeks ago, informing me that Mom's pacemaker was losing power and could easily be replaced if she wished. However, she told her cardiologist that she did not wish the pacemaker replaced. The cardiologist told her that, without a replacement, the current pacemaker would only last 1 to 2 months, give or take, and that when her heart stopped after that, then she would die. She understands that and expressed that as her wish. She is tired and has not felt good for quite a long time. Her quality of life is not good. Within a short time of that decision, though, she again ended up in the hospital. My brother reported that she sleeps most of the time and it was difficult to wake her. She also was not always coherent or "with it" when she was awake. I was told that, if I wanted to be able to talk to her again before she died, I needed to come sooner rather than later. I spent the next 4 days trying to figure out the best way to get back to IN to see her, and it was finally decided that my son and I would drive back (3 days each way) and see her for a few days, as well as evaluate how Dad is taking care of himself alone at home. God was sooooooooo gracious to us! We left on Friday, 4/8, in the afternoon. Weather reports had at least rain, if not snow, all over the first third or so of our trip. But God moved it all out of our way, and we had good weather all the way to IN. When we went to the hospital to see my Mom, she was not only awake but she was coherent. My SIL was amazed, stating that Mom was a totally different woman than they had seen for nearly a week. We spent 4 days there, and she was coherent the entire time. We had a really good visit. My Dad is doing okay, but we've decided that he really needs more supervision from us in order to stay independently in the house. (He is terrified, BTW, of anything that he perceives to be a "nursing home", including Assisted Living, and he refuses to leave home.)

The return trip was not so smooth, but it was equally blessed. We ran into that awful storm that produced those deadly tornadoes, and so our first two days out were not very nice and smooth. But God paved the way for us in spite of the weather. We made it home all right last night. When we got into town, though, my brother called me to give me an update on Mom. She is once again incoherent ("loopy" is the word he used), and she's going in and out of reality.

I know that God gave me the blessing of this time with my parents. We had already planned a trip back for our annual visit in July, but we're kind of waiting to see what happens. I realize that my Mom may go to Jesus before that time, and I'm okay with that. I believe that God knows exactly the number of her days, and that His timing is perfect. I'm just thrilled that He gave me the blessing of seeing her once more. Now I just need to catch up on my sleep and get back into my routine.

Please pray for my parents, my siblings (especially my brother, Doug, who carries the brunt of their care), and me as we travel through this pathway of life. Thanks!

Father, thank you soo much' that You allow Cindy to spend time with her parents...

Thank you, for her safe travel to and fro...

Please place a comforting hand upon her parents,and her brother...

Give Cindy 'peace'...

Thank you, Lord...

In Jesus' name,
Amen

Thanks, Frank and Jeani.

Yes I to will be praying for you and your family.

Praying for you and your family. Only in God's hands can we get through our tribulations.