Count Your Blessings and Lucky Stars!

Dear Lovingdaughter,

My thoughts and prayers will be with you. I wondered where you were. I shall miss you. I hope you check back in when you get settled. Blessings to you and your mom. Hope all goes smoothly. Would love to know how it all went. Take care, and God bless you, dear sister!

lharddbeck, thank you. Yes, they are all safe and placed elsewhere. The owners have moved back to their other property.

I'm counting my blessing, still. Even though things don't always go the way I want, God has not forsaken me. I'm so blessed to have my husband's support, a healthy boy, and wonderful friends. God bless you all!

Anne aka SS

yes count my blessing that i can get up out of the bed everyday ., even tho i feel like i been ran over by a bus and count my blessing that my dad is sweet man and doesnt give me a hard time .
anne im glad your neighbors got out all in one piece , when i was little our neighbor s house caught on fire and we were worried ours would catch on fire too , thank you lord that it didnt . nobody was at home when it cauught on fire . faulty wire they said .
yes we have to count our blessing everyday even on the bad days cuz it could have been worst i always reminded myself that . it could be worst .
ok time for me to drag myself to kitchen and slave away with bfast . mm i think i ll take up on those cookies instead , lol .
thank u jesus for the rain we r havin today . we needed it . escsialy on a friday woohoo . ;-)

To all my friends at Aging Care. Anne, Secret sister, Austin, and all the wonderful people that I have met along the way. This will be my last post for some time to come. We sold our house and are moving in about 6 weeks. It has been very stressful on us as well as on mom. We wanted to put her in an assisted living facility for 3 weeks while we packed moved and unpacked. Well she went into a tailspin, and we had to calm her and go to plan B. So, she is going to a hotel with a caregiver for 4 days and they are coming to the new house and the live in will stay for 2 weeks. I have to have some time to re-group and set up the new house. After that, she will have the 4 days of help we have had with the same agency but in a different part of the state. So, I am saying good-bye for now, knowing what wonderful people are out there doing what we do everyday, asking no praise, but deserving it just the same. Bless you all.
Linda

Sister,
Wouldn't it be nice if we could have our own private little cozy spot in heaven. No useless brothers or sisters. We could have cookies all day and laugh until our sides ached!!! Bless you all!

You know, I never thought about meeting some of the online Caregivers in heaven some day...usually just think about Caregiving drama when I'm here. Austin, thanks for turning our thoughts heavenward. I want to visit your mansion for cookies, and Maisie's for pecan pie, and txmaggie's for tea (not virtual), and Neon's for a laugh, and Lovingdaughter's for a hug, and naheaton for her smile, and...

Austin. There will always be homemade cookies and good things where you are concerned. Bless you and have another cookie.

Lovingdaughter will say a prayer my blessing for today was our church service and the coffee hours-we tend to stay and talk 30 people can make a noise and I overdid it on homemade cookies they are my downfall and one of the men said I was melting away so guess the diet is working we have such a great loving group it is such a blessing to come together and worship and learn the word I am so blessed and am sure God has a mansion in heaven for all caregivers so we will meet each other someday and be in paradise won't that be great no more tears and tied old bodies-speaking for myself- I hope there are homemade cookies there -oh well just kidding.

Will say a prayer! :)

Two people came to look at the house today. Cross your fingers!!!!!!!

You all are such blessings to me and hope those with snow and cold weather can look forward to warmer days before too long.

Awesome posts, ladies. Thanks for contributing to this and starting out the year in the right spirit. Linda, a cozy fire sounds good about right now, or a bubble bath. Please remember to take care of yourself even as you're caring for others. (Love thy neighbour as thyself...not out of balance, but include yourself, because you are special to someone.) God bless you and your loved ones in this new year!

My blessing to realize I am not in control at all and to appreciate each day as it it and not to worry what will be and to put myself in the Lords hands and try to live my life as he wants me to.

Mom has ever convenience made. She has a walker, travel chair, automatic bed with comfort vibrator, automatic lift chair, walk-in shower with hand controls. She has a van with a seat that telescopes out of the side door and moves to her level on the side walk. All she has to do is turn around and sit. The controls lift her seat, rotates and pops her into the car! I wish I had it as good as she has it. She just can't keep her balance sometimes and falls on her rump. Since she is well padded, she has not done any damage, but we keep a close eye on her. I have help 4 days a week, and I get to have a life. But, I know that the time will come when even all of the above won't be enough. Thanks for your support. My wine is calling by the fireplace. Mom is reading another novel. This is my peace time. Happy New Year.
Linda

lovingdaughter , does your mom have a walker to walk with ?
my dad had a walker to walk with and it got to the point where i have to walk beside him or behind him to prevent him walkin backwards with his walker or sideways .
now he can not walk anymore . its the wheelchair now . he can stand and walk 2 or 3 steps with my help to the wheelchair . then i wheel him to where ever he needed to go .
may have to do that and saves her from hurting herself and yourself from liftin her back up .
bless your heart and your moms ...happy new year ...

Dear Linda, you were a terrific blessing to your mom in 2009, no doubt, and to many of us here. I am counting my blessings for the encouragement you have been.

I thought about going to this site today, and you beat me to it. I pray the LORD bless you and your husband, and your mom in 2010, regardless of what happens. You've grown so much in the last year. Stay the same sweet, loving, compassionate daughter, and you'll go far. Will keep all of you in our prayers. Let us know how things are going with your housing decisions... Thanks for being such a blessing! :)

Mom fell again, but she is OK. So that is a blessing. Now that the new year is upon us, I feel that it is time to reflect on that which has passed. For all of us, it is a time to take inventory. Have we done our best? What can we improve upon? For each of us the answer is different. No, the answers are not always easy.
I am not sure what I am going to do with mom in the up coming year. She may have to go to a nursing home if she keeps falling. Her safety is my number one concern. My guilt is not the issue. So for those of you who say "not me never will I put my loved one in a home", be careful. Never say never. I thought that way too. But now I see things in a different light. It is not what I want, but it may be what she needs. Right now, we are OK and we have some time to consider our options. I just have learned in this journey that nothing is constant. Time and conditions change.
What could I have done better? Count to ten more. Left the room and collect myself before I spoke. What is done is done. We are not perfect, but the future will be shaped by the past.

So, I will try to be more patient. I will try to look at all my options. And I will never say never. If nothing else, life has taught me that "never" rarely happens. God Bless and have a Happy New Year.

Linda

Lovingdaughter, so nice to read your post, and your good wishes. Praying you have a blessed Christmas.

Tonight was just awesome, and we feel so spoiled. Two families from our church came to our dads' nursing home tonight bringing all their children and babies and instruments to put on a Christmas program for the residents, and to bless us. We had piano, guitar, mandoline, and vocals. 14 children, ages 15 on down, sang some songs, and the adults did, too. One of the gentlemen made up programs for everyone with the Christmas message, and one of the gentleman did a devotion.

The facility provided the residents with cookies. This was the second year they blessed us with their presence, and we did all feel so thankful and blessed.

My part was feeding everyone. I brought in a couple of cassaroles, salad, sandwiches, jello, nuts. It was simple, but a way to give back for all they've done for us. The nurses, CNAs and Activities staff ate some, too. It was nice to include them, to thank them for all the care they give our dads, and for the way they serve us day after day...

I am counting my blessings, and thank God for the opportunity to be a blessing to others, as well. That is a privelege, and tonight was one of the favorite traditions we enjoy. I thank God to have the energy and resources to do what we do. To see all the warm smiles lifts spirits, and reminds us how blessed we are. To know that some of those residents had a good evening was a gift to each who participated.

Maybe it is time for me to be thankful for what I have. I know for me, it is my family, friends and the support of the great friends I have made on this site. It is difficult for all of us to understand who each of us feels. However, we know how had the job is. I take one day at a time and try to put myself in your shoes. My mom is doing OK, but when the time comes, I know placement will be the right thing for her. I know that I am not the one to take care of her when she is in too much of a state of decline. So ,I am thankful for her now, knowing it won't always stay the same. To Secret Sister, Neon and Austin,Mitzi and Carol :it has been a year since we have all been here together, I would hate to not hear from you again. However, I understand that sometimes it is too hard to express how you feel on a daily basis. So, with that in mind, I will post in the New Year. Love to you all.
Linda

Oh, the joys of Christmas are around us, when the greatest gift of all is in our hearts, as Jesus is the reason for the season. Wishing you a peaceful celebration, comfort and joy, despite your Caregiving challenges.

Today we helped decorate gingerbread houses at our loved ones' nursing home for a Christmas Open House tomorrow. Tonight, we made paper snowflakes with our nine year old, at his direction, as he enjoyed teaching mom and dad how to fold and cut. He proudly displayed them by taping each one in a window. What a way to acknowledge his contribution in Caregiving, by just letting him be a happy kid and do something fun together. We also built a fire and watched it snow. So far, that's our Christmas, and we are counting our blessings.

I am going to look up the hours and try to go next week. I will look her up. Hope you have peace this Christmas. I know that it will be difficult, but we are thinking and praying for you.

Linda

Lovingdaughter When you go to KRISKINDLEMART look for my sister Pat Devris she does wheat weaving she is on the corner by the food. Stop in and say hi to her for me-I had a great 3 days there with her and my daughter and was blown away by the talent of the crafters she is next to the man who colores real eggs-I booth sat for him one day so he could take a break. Pat has been doing that show since it started many years ago. I am the big sister and am very proud of her I have been asked to go back there for Christmas this year-the husband died last June. My daughter got to ride a bus around Bethleham at night and got to visit the Movarian Book store.

alot of people wont be having christmases , ecomeny is so bad and its so unreal !! christmas is for little kids anyway .
i didnt even want to mess with christmas tree but my 18 yrs old daughter said oh mom ! we gotta have a tree . so we did and she bought me one present and set it underthe tree , now its startin to creep up onme to have the spirits and i just shudder to thinki have to go shopping and spend on something i dont realy have the money for ..
yes its just another day but its speical day tho .
yes i will cook , might just swell i aint got nothing better to do , stay home and keep warm and i ll cook for who comes to eat . like i did for thanksgiving . it was work but like i said i didnt have anything better to do .
i am lookin fwrd for happy newyear and hope that new year will bring me lots of sunshine ..
merry christmas to all of you !!!

what do you do when there are no family togetherness? Me I am going to work let them sit home in front of the tv and wonder if I will make supper cuz that's all it's going to be. Sorry to be so down but can't help it. Inever get any help and I just am worn out so this year which is a first and I've seen some pretty sad christmas' both a a child and an adult there is no christmas this year. Like I said I am working this is a hospital and hospitals are open 4/7 so I will just carry on as if it were another day and not tell anyone they can figure it out for themselves. thanks for your post I used to do all the baking and stuff and give and give not this year. I made sugar cookies last week end they are almost gone so Merry Cristmas family enjoy while you can cuz after this you're on your own. and I dare anyone to take my christmas stuff and give it away I will use it again when I have my house back to myself.

This Christmas is a lot different for me too. I used to be able to do things like haul out boxes out of storage and put trees together and really decorate and bust my back trying to make a nice Christmas for mom. I'm so tired when I get back from visiting mom at the nursing home now that I don't feel like doing much of anything, it takes more out of me than I thought at first. At first when I realized Christmas was coming, my first thought was panic, then I said cancel Christmas, I'm too busy with other stuff, but I decided I can still enjoy the Christmas Spirit without doing all that stuff and too bad if everybody is disappointed if they don't get handmade gifts.

This year I am just not going to worry about Christmas, it will take care of itself, and I want enjoy the Christmas spirit and the two small already lit laser trees we have put up. I used to run rat races trying to do craft projects, make handmade gifts. Then by Christmas I would be exhausted and sick from doing all that work. This time I am not going to be sick and exhausted and be able to enjoy being with my family, my niece is coming home for two weeks and I am just going to enjoy being with my family.

I don't have to haul out all that junk every Christmas, and I can't take all that with me when I die, so what does it matter anyway? And all that baking I used to do for Christmas I can do without anyway, just makes me more fat and then I have to diet for two months afterwards.

Everyone have a good Christmas, remember what Christmas is really for, to celebrate our Savior's birth and to celebrate families being together, and try not to let those family members who want to destroy the Christmas spirit bother us.

Hi all ;my blessing today is I have a Christmas party for the little girl I mentor. As for the rest of it, I haven't decorated and am not going to I am too tired to deal with it and no one at the house is interested so for 38 years I've been banging my head up against the wall to make nice Christmas' and all I get in return is bah humbug so this year I am bah humbug no decorations no presents they say its another day lets see how they feel when I treat it as such but it does make me depressed feel like crying. I so enjoy Christmas or used to . I am afraid I will be like this the rest of my life. Too much work not enough time to even sleep but I do have my little things to do. So that takes me away from all the people who drag me down. I am so sick of being dragged down by my mother and husband. Well I hope you all have a blessed Christmas.

Austin,

You were about 25 minutes from me! You went to the Kris Kringle Mart?? I have to go there one day. I hear it is really nice. Glad you had such a nice visit. We had snow, so hope it didn't interfere with your good time. Hope your health is good and that you enjoy this Christmas season.

My blessing is that Mom can still be on her own and my daughter and I had a nice visit with her and was able to attend the craft fair with my sister in Bethleham Pa. and the snow storm was not as bad as perdicted and we got home allright and I have been invited back there for Christmas and I pray the test my doc will insist on me having will have a good outcome and am trying not to worry and anyway I am not in charge and undue worrying will not help anyway.

Counting with you, lovingdaughter, PTL! I have some too; just not ready to verbalize them... (God knows.) Thanks for sharing! :)

It has been awhile since I have posted on this thread. I really wasn't concentrating on my blessings, rather everything that was going wrong. Can't do that!

Mom fell on Sunday and was not hurt- blessing #1

We had someone come and look at the house today for a second visit.blessing #2 ( been on the market for 6 weeks!)

Our daughter is coming home for Christmas. blessing #3

Can't get much better than that. Hope your Christmas time find peace and joy for you and yours

Linda

I am so thankful that for the first time in years, I don't have to cook Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas dinner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My brother finally finished his remodeling on his home and it is handicapped accessible!! My mom and his MIL can now come over and visit. Last Christmas we had dinner for 25 and the year before it has 35. As much as I enjoyed doing it, it was a real strain financially and physically. Thank you so much for answering my prayers and getting his house done!!!!!!

We lowered the price on our home, and our agent feels that people will now be interested in buying it. So, I am thankful for that, and please all of you say the needed prayers and keep your fingers crossed. That 55 and over community is calling my name!!!!!! Have a great day to you all. I don't know what I would do without you!!!!!!!