My husband's sisters, Deb and Judy are still close to me and have been very good to us.
Today, Judy gave Tom as college send off (iPod cover and many $ of iTunes gift cards, all the linen needed to set up a dorm room and a check for $500...)
Deb...
(the Nisson behind them)
THANK YOU ALL! (Tom is being rewarded for his good choices...)
My niece, Rachel has taped to her bed a piece of paper
For I am the LORD, your God,
who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help you. (Isa. 41:13)
right next to her firearms safety certificate, issued by the state of Michigan when she was 12.
I'm helping to take care of my mom.
That act of care-taking is the biggest part of what is helping me. This woman that I love, that nurtured me and took care of me...is in need.
There are moments (not very many), but for the most part, I'm glad that I can be there.
Some if it is going through the motions...some of it must be hard for her, so I'm "matter of fact" about it.
Mom was a lot more fragile today...jittery and shaky. A lot more time spent in bed and we skipped a lot of PT (at the therapist's suggestion). She did the sitting exercises and she transfered a lot of times. then she just wanted to rest.
when the PT got here, she said that she had taken on another patient that was in the same boat and they tried something that worked. She put Mom's chair close to the kitchen sink and had Mom rock...on the count of 3...stand up. the support belt helped because we can help lift her. The cabinet doors kept her knees from buckling and she held onto the sink for dear life. It was only a few seconds, but she was standing.
Those were the only good tears of the day.
Me...it wasn't one of the worst days.
A sermon was preached yesterday based on the premise that God knows what we need before we ask...before we even know that we need it. (this, I totally agree with)...
and the instruction: instead of "me, me, me"...for one week, we are not to ask God for anything, but rather we should wait and trust because He already knows what we need.
I'm holding on because I am in constant supplication for strength and help. And I'm supposed to not ask God for anything? Not even help?
Excuse the language: bullshit.
James 1:5
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
Luke 11:3
Give us each day our daily bread.
Jesus instructed us, ask. that's good enough for me.
I suppose what got me into trouble was that I said so...in front of my family...and it was my brother-in-law that preached the sermon...
My mom is doing pretty poorly. Her feet do not do what they're supposed to do and she's not strong enough to lift her body weight. Her surgeon isn't talking (or showing up) and the therapist tell them that they need to talk to the surgeon. She's depressed and right now I'm not much help in that regard. She's also worried that Dad wants to put her in a nursing home...
Dad...is really scared that he's not going to be able to take care of her. One option (if there's going to be an eventual improvement) is a short term stay at a nursing home. Mom cries and tells him not to give up on her.
Dad cried tonight when he was talking about what he's going to do.
He's remembering when Aunt Joyce died and how my cousin and could not lift her when she fell and how they all felt when they had to put her in the home.
and he talked about how he doesn't know how my aunt copes with an invalid husband in a wheel chair - how does that work and what is he going to do?
And how my Aunt Pat lives alone now...
My dad is really down. I don't know what to do.
Tom's getting ready to go away to college (about as far away as you can get and still be in Michigan). He's worked hard to get his act together and I'm proud of him.
Yesterday I got into my jewelry box and pulled out the pocket watch that I had given to his father on our wedding day and gave it to Tom. It still keeps good time, but the second hand has fallen out (so the other hands can catch on it). We need to take it to a jeweler and have the glass taken off and the hand removed completely.
I'm going to need a bumper sticker for my car (Northern Michigan University)
Amanda...still struggles.
or not...
I acquired this spinning wheel from a co-worker (out of her barn), in an unworking state. There were a few minor things wrong with it and a couple of parts missing.
I thought of my dad and I wanted to work on this with him. We took a little time this weekend (less than I thought it would take) and...
WE HAVE STRING!
Not very pretty, not very even...but the wheel is (sort of) in working order. You can see the slot where a piece is holds the spindle in place and there is a nut missing that will hold the holder in place. Without that nut, the holder slides away from the whorl (where the outside piece of string is) and the string comes off of the big wheel, so the drive "string" comes off, which brings a halt to the spinning.
Here's the catch. There are only 4 pieces of metal on this thing - it is put together with wood pegs and all of the nuts and screws are made of wood. So the threads are carved. What we need to do is find a slightly larger metal nut than we need and wrap the peg in some sort of fabric to protect the wood threads and use the metal (until if/when we can find somebody to carve a new wooden one).
I also need to find somebody with a lathe who can make a couple of new whorls and about 4 spindles.
(almost wordless - playing with "negative")
A letter from Thomas McElhinney to his son, my great-grandfather
July 30th, 1876
My dear son,
You have of late occupied much of my thoughts. Of my sons you are my first born. My pride, my strength and it is natural that I should desire your welfare and happiness. Allow me then to talk plainly, yet kindly to you. I would not irritate you, but I would help you to escape some of the ills of this world. The old proverb sounds "Thyself to know, make use of every friend and every foe." What your habits are I know not, but this I know that men are known by the company they keep. I know also that habits once formed are hard to break. If a person has formed the habit of smoking, drinking, gambling or indulging any (propensity) passion or desire unlawfully it is very hard to overcome this trouble or evil. The person becomes the slave of his own passions, the worst slavery in the world because ruin is its terminus. If you have any habits it is time for you to assert your manhood and say that you in every respect govern yourself.
One thing is sure "You must govern your passions or they will govern you." The brute, the animal is governed by his desires. Man should be governed by his reason found on the Laws of God as revealed in His Word and in the wisdom of the wise.