Catching up...

We'll a lot of you are aware of what has been going on in our lives, while others may be surprised by what I'm posting. Life has been very hectic and emotional for us, so I have not been posting.

My Mom had stage one colon cancer surgery on August 28th. She does not require chemo or further treatment for the cancer since it was not in her lymph nodes. We are very thankful for that. After being in the rehab facility of a local nursing home, she stayed with Paul and Marsha, my brother and his wife. On September 28th, she moved back home, and Diane, my sister, has been staying at the house with Mom. Her recovery is slow; she is still quite weak. I did not take any photos of my Mom during my visit to Illinois. The photos of me and my Dad was taken by Diane, when we dropped her off at the train station.

My Dad has dementia which has worsened in recent months and my Mom is not able to be his primary caregiver anymore. Paul, Diane, and I all stayed at the house at different times taking care of Dad while Mom was in the hospital & rehab and we would all agree it is very hard work to take care of my Dad. Also, while in the nursing home, the health professionals told my Mom/family that she is not physically capable of taking care of Dad anymore. Dad was admitted into the Veterans Administration Hospital in North Chicago for a 30-day respite care stay. This past Monday Mom, Paul, and Diane moved Dad from the VA facility to a nursing home near my Mom's house. It will take some time for him to get adjusted to the routine. If people would like to visit or call him, email me and I'll send you the address and phone number.

Many, many people have been wonderful showing how much they care for my Mom and Dad. For this, I thank you very much. This is not an easy time for any of us and your love, understanding, and compassion are most welcome and heartwarming. Putting my Dad in the nursing home, especially the days leading up to it, were some of the hardest days of my life. I went to a women's retreat in September and the speaker was talking about putting her mother-in-law in a nursing home and how it was the most difficult thing she had ever done. I agree. What sadly shocked me were the lack of understanding & compassion by some relatives and a friend in Illinois. It made a bad situation that much harder to swallow. I like this saying, "you might not remember what someone said to you, but you'll certainly remember how they made you feel".

After I flew home from my time in Illinois, we had a short time to get ready for our cousin's from Norway. Also during this short time, we had to clean up the house from getting all new windows installed on our house. I hope to take some "after" photos and post them along with my "before" photos. I'll post photos of Turid and Oddbjorn's visit with us next. We had fun time with them.

This past Monday we just returned from Corpus Christi, TX. Steve's sister, Ruth, is failing her battle with cancer. She is at home with her husband Glen and hospice is helping to keep Ruth comfortable. Please say a prayer for her, her wishes are that she goes quietly in her sleep. We stayed at my niece, Jennifer and her husband, John's house. They live about 9 miles from Ruth and Glen. Luke (4) and James (3 1/2 mos.) were a great delight to come home to each day. I'll post some of those photos from that trip after I post Turid and Oddbjorn's photos.