Good morning... This Memorial Day weekend, my 88 year old dad drove nearly four hours to lay geraniums at the foot of my grandparents' grave. This annual tradition of remembrance was foregone for a few years as my mom's health issues took precedence, but this weekend my sister stayed with my mom and my dad drove on his [...]
Good morning... "Tommy died yesterday," her text came into our group at 8:02 am. "He has gone to 'green pastures' as Margaret describes." "Thank you for letting us know," I was the first to respond. "What a bittersweet journey. I will keep Margaret and the family tucked in my prayers." Then short responses cascaded into my phone. "He [...]
Good morning... As we relax into my parent's independent living villa in Ohio, I feel deeply at home. How grateful I am for my mom's ability to return to this special space after weeks in the care center, recovering from two falls, an RSV diagnosis, a scary ICU stay, and a nasty bout of pneumonia. With help from [...]
Good morning... Today, my dad turns 88 years old. From Atlanta, Georgia to Olmsted Falls, Ohio, I send my early morning "Happy Birthday" wish to the man who most regularly reads our daily blog. My dad also loves to read newspaper articles, especially ones written by Terry Pluto, columnist for the local paper, the Cleveland Plain Dealer. This [...]
Good morning... On Easter Monday, I blogged about Caregiving For A Loved One. "Sue, I read your blog," texted Jennifer DeShetler, mother of Audrey, who has journeyed with cancer for over fourteen years. "It's funny. I wrote about myself as a caregiver yesterday on Facebook." Knowing that I am not on any social media, Jennifer shared with me [...]
Good morning... "Our hands imbibe like roots," says St. Francis of Assisi, "so I place them on what is beautiful in this world. And I fold them in prayer, and they draw from the heaven's light." Imbibe. I love this wildly thirsty word. 1. To drink; gulp down. 2. To absorb; soak up. 3. To receive into the [...]
Good morning... Life gets busy for all of us. Schedules fill up. Routines settle in. It is very easy for weeks to pass without spending quality time together. Distance hinders. Commitments clash. Time can evaporate without meaningful connection. For our family, last night was different. At Christmas time, we gave the gift of Mamma Mia tickets at the [...]
Good morning... Before I leaving my parents' villa to visit my mom in the hospital, I looked down on their table to see two simple items. A small wooden reminder, "In all things give thanks." And a card with a butterfly, black and white, yellow and orange. I did not know if my mom, unresponsive in the ICU [...]
Good morning... We have been praying through the cancer journey of Audrey DeShetler for the past fourteen and a half years. Now, with her at nineteen years old, we have arrived at her father's powerful Facebook post from yesterday. ****** Back home / healing from above by Ben DeShetler So much has happened since I last posted and [...]
Good morning... One long day in the ER. A short night in a regular room. Two exhausting days in the ICU. Suffering seizures and diagnosed with RSV, my mom was unresponsive for three full days. We did not know what we would find when we went to the hospital on day four. We got into the ICU around [...]
