Mom and Me

It's Sunday today. I am sharing the day with my mom today, I enjoy and cherish each moment I can spend with her. So far today we have had breakfast, read the paper, played cards and went for a walk (inside of course, it is too cold outside, actually she rides and I walk). She never ceases to amaze me. Someone came in and asked her what we were doing and she told them that she was "beating Pam at cards". It was pretty fuuny since I was helping her play a game of solitaire. She is always so pleasant and everyone that works here just loves her. She is so appreciative of everything anyone does for her. If you know her that's just the way she is.

She asked me this morning how I knew where she was and I told her that I ALWAYS know where she is and what is going on with her. She said "I know you tell me that all the time".

A year ago today we were spending time together celebrating Paul and my 25th wedding anniversary. Actually it was a surprise celebration since Paul and I did not know anything about it and we walked in to the Green Room at The Martin Theater and found that the party was not for my best friend and her husband, it was acutally for us. Go figure, Mom continues to be amazed at how it was such a well kept secret and how Paul and I had no clue.

I decorated for Valentine's for her and it looks really cute.

TJ, my nephew, came to see her last weekend dressed in his dress uniform. He graduated from Coast Guard Boot Camp in Cape May, NJ on January 7th. She is so proud of him. He brought her an 8x10 picture and she was showing it to everyone.

She is so proud of her grandchildren. She tells everyone about Suz and TJ all the time. I don't know that I have ever seen a prouder "Gram". I set it up so that she could Skype with Suzannah earlier this week and she loved being able to talk to her over the computer. She is amazed that she can see her and talk to her at the same time and what is even more amazing to her is that she is in Tampa while we are talking to her. She says it is "just weird", but she likes it.

She went to restorative therapy and just returned. I guess I better go since we have precious time to spend together and we don't want to waste a minute of it.

Hopefully I will post sooner than later. Until then know that we are enjoying our days and times spent together and I still feel like the most blessed girl in the world to By My Mother's Side.


Pam

A NEW YEAR

I am sitting here with my Mom this morning and she is sleeping so peacefully. I am reflecting on all that happened in 2010, the happiness, the sadness, the surprises and the disappointments. It seems that there was quite a bit of each. Little did we know as we rang in 2010 the things that were in store for us this past year.

As I recall the first five months were filled with fun and celebrations: Paul and I celebrated our 25th Wedding Anniversary with a SURPRISE party and a cruise, Suzannah turned 19 and we celebrated Mom's 80th birthday in March.

I often reflect on the last 7 months since her stroke and think WOW, it doesn't seem that long since she had her stroke and other times it seems like a lifetime ago. So many things have changed since that fateful day, May 29th, not only was it my oldest sister's birthday, but the day that changed my life forever.

So many things have changed since then, my Mom, always independent and self-sufficient, is now dependent and in need of assistance. As I have said in previous blogs, not only is the person that suffers the physical catastrophe of a stroke affected, but the family is as well. Our family will never be the same again in many different ways, some good, some bad and some just unexplainable.

So many things are the same, my Mom is still the precious, gracious, appreciative, selfless, loving and wonderful mother of my childhood, she still loves her family more than anything and wants the best for each of us as she has from the beginning of our lives. She has always thought of and put us before herself. She is the highlight of my day and I am blessed to be her daughter. I can only hope that my daughter will love me 1/2 as much as I love my Mom, if so, I will be so thankful and blessed.

So I guess that 2010 taught me first hand that your life can be changed in a second and that there is no way that I could have survived the trials of this past year if I had not had faith in my Lord and the confidence that He will take care of me no matter the circumstance.

As I enter 2011, I will continue to be By My Mother's Side no matter what comes our way because it is a privilege and an honor to be there for her, just as she has always been there for me.
"Children's children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children" Proverbs 17:6

"My God shall supply shall supply all our needs, according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus" Philippians 4:19