Update on Steve's injury

It's Thursday, and it's amazing what a few days of medication and rest can do. We returned from an appointment with the Doctor for a followup checkup. Steve's back is sore and He has numbness in his upper thigh, but feels so much better. The Doctor is ordering an MRI and an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon, The common thought with the ER Doctor and our family doctor is that this is a Herniated Disc injury. The Siatica Nerve is pinched and the Muscle Spasism is a result of the nerves being pinched. He is off of the Oxycodone and is taking 800mg Motrin in stead, He will continue taking the percocet and predisone. He is still not released to go back to work, but He has a long weekend anyway, so that will give his back more time to rest. He's really hoping that He doesn't have a serious injury and if He does, it can been healed with exercise and physical therapy. We'll know more after he has the MRI and meets with an orthopedic guy. Thanks for your prayers...

My weekend warrior is wounded

Well, Give Steve an extra day off and He will plug in as many projects as the daylight will allow.After completing the pruning on our Apple orchard, painting Ashley's bedroom, reinforcing the animal pens and doing his weekend yard work here and for his parents, We ended up at the doctor's office. He was in such pain this morning that He couldn't stand ,sit or lay down without feeling sharp pain in his back all down his leg. We got in to see the our doctor and Steve had to lay over the exam table,stomach down. The doctor came in and said this pain was caused by muscle spasims and gave him a shot of Torval, He prescribed Oxycotton and Percocet , No work for the next 3 days. Boy, this is one way to get him to relax. Pray that He will rest and let his body heal....

Proud of our Neighbors Thomas Aquinas College

Just a short quarter mile from our home is Thomas Aquinas College, a small Catholic School. For the past 10 years they have been building this amazing "Chapel", We say it's a Cathedral! Check out the website and take a virtual tour. They are slated to dedicate it in March and Steve and I plan on going. We take drives through the campus to watch the progress on the construction and we are amazed at the beauty of this facility. It reminds us of some of the cathedrals we saw in Italy.
It is so neat to have this beautiful group of buildings right in our backyard......

A beautiful farewell for "Mac"

Today, Mac has turned a corner. When I arrived at 10:00 a.m.,Flavia, the full time caregiver met me at the door to tell me that this morning things became different. She ate very little of her breakfast and is struggling more with her breathing. The hospice nurse,Teresa came and evaluated her overall appearance. She started her on morphine, she began to relax and slept most of the day. She has told me that she has seen her dad waiting for her and she is tired. I feel so blessed to care for her,she is such a gentle kind soul, To witness the journey a person takes as they leave this life is beautiful, I felt the same way with my Mom. What an honor to be there in the final days. My prayer is for God to wrap his loving arms around Mac and carry her into heaven......

January Showers in Sunny California

We love the rain... Last night we heard the rain on our deck. We got so excited to see the raindrops coming down and making puddles . Then in the middle of the night it began to rain harder,You know we just don't get enough rain here so this rain is so welcomed. The weather is still warm(about 65) so this will be good for the plants and trees. Don't believe em' when they say "It never rains in California".....

Papa is taking Baby Steps

Today, Papa walked a short distance from his room with the help of his Physical Therapist. On January 15th he went in for a total hip replacement on his left hip. He is dealing with the pain very well and is eager to work with Physical Therapy so He can get full movement again. Please pray for a full recovery and that Genelle will get some rest.

Heirlooms

I feel my role as a caregiver is to take care of a family's heirlooms. Since I began this new journey I have met the most amazing people. First there is Phyllis and Robert. She was married to his brother and now they are both widowed so they take care of each other. He loves roses and email and she likes to take care of Robert. Then I met Dot, a precious christian woman who had just returned home after having a knee replacement, We spent long afternoons talking about her years as a young woman who attended Biola College. She met her husband at Youth for Christ, They didn't have a car when they got married so they rode a bus to Big Bear Lake for their honeymoon, She emails me and keeps me up to date on the goings on at her Senior Living Facility. Next I wrote out Christmas Cards with Bob, a retired Pastor who is stuggling with Parkinson Disease and Dementia. A gentle soul with such a compassionate heart, His wife Donna is a pre-school teacher and the love of his life. Then there is Jacqueline, 94 and a classical ballerina from the 20's. She grew up playing with the Kennedy's in Mass. She reminds me of the actress that played Rose at the end of the movie Titanic. She wears her pearls everyday and loves to have a manicure and listen to classical music.A real beauty. Another woman,Jean lives in a beach house she has owned for 50 years on Faria Beach. She is a retired High School teacher and loves to watch Little House on the Prairie and drink green tea, She has beautiful white hair and is very soft spoken. I spend 48 hours with "Mac" she is 84 and has been diagnosed with Lung Cancer. She and I share the love of beautiful china,drinking tea and talking about our Scottish heritage. She lives in Camarillo and is the most organized person I have ever met, She is teaching me how to have a farewell party and enjoy each day. She taught me how to bake shortbread cookies and I make her homemade ice cream I count her as one of the most inspiring.
If you knew you were at the end of your life, how would act? All of these people have lived their lives with No regrets and have such peace. I am so blessed to have been trusted with these family heirlooms