What a Week!

So I began this week saying goodbye to mrangelmeg who had to fly out to meetings for his job and would be away for the balance of the week.


Then on Tuesday I went to mom's nursing home for a Care Plan committee meeting where we discussed what kind of changes were going to be in mom's near future. As I have blogged about recently mom has been falling alot because her peripheral vision is being affected. Her doctor doesn't think it is time for her to be moved from the memory care unit even though there is a chance that she still might get hurt because of her unsteadiness and the chance of being hurt in a fall. Her doctor thinks, and I agree, that she needs to be in the more active ward as long as possible. The next step will be for her to be restricted to a wheelchair full time and in the more restricted ward of the nursing home. We both want to put that day off for a little while longer and keep her active and independent while she can be. These decisions are hard. I am so glad that mom has a Dr. ther who has personal experience with a parent with this disease, because knowing that he went through this with his own father makes me trust his judgement in these decisions so much more than if I thought he were just going on textbook knowledge alone.

So, for at least a little while longer mom has the freedom to move about (with someone right by her side when she is walking, as often as they can have it that way) and remains in the active ward where she knows everyone and everyone knows her.

Wednesday was Ash Wednesday, we had two amazing gifts at Mass. Our retired priest Fr. Charlie, who has been ailing for the last few months not only said Mass, but handed out communion assisted by St. Elmo (his portable oxygen tank). We are so happy to see him able to be active in his pastoral ministry. Also Fr. Emmanuel, a priest friend who went back to his homeland of Zimbabwe Africa last year was concelebrating. He looks a little bit older an more gray, but other than that not much worse for the wear of having survived cancer. I thought the Angelbaby was going to burst all through Mass wanting to rush up onto the altar to give him a hug, but she waited patiently until after the final hymn and ran back into the sacristy, but even then he had slipped away quietly before she could get to him. That is his way.

Thursday my older sister had a mild stroke. With mrangelmeg out of town I couldn't get up to see her, but I was in touch by phone with my sister who lives with her and another sister who drove in to see if things were okay. Now that I have seen her I think she is in much better shape than my mother-in-law was after her stroke last year. She will probably be home by Monday with outpatient physical therapy for speach and swallowing. She now knows that she is diabetic and needs to take much better care of herself.

This was my week to do hospital ministry. While I was there doing my rounds I found that one of my visits was to a dear friend Aggie. She is an older woman whose husband is also in the Knights of Columbus with mrangelmeg is flat on her back in Critical Care with pancreatitis. She was extremely cranky (which is partly her normal way) on Tuesday I stayed with her for a short time. I went back on Wednesday for a bit and again on Thursday after my regular rounds. Each day she got worse instead of better. I am really scared for her. I am hoping things turn around soon for her. I don't know what her husband will do without her.

While I was visiting Aggie, another Knight friend of ours Joe came in, and we found out that he has non-Hodgkins Lymphoma! He starts chemo this week.

So, I am asking all of you to send prayers my way to all of my dear ones who need it (or are on the mend).