Last week my mom called me and asked me to go with her to the doctor. I think that it was just her way of telling me that it had been too #@!^ long since I'd been up to see her and I'd better get my butt up there! Ok, I'm not a stupid woman so I asked for the day off and met her at the doctor's office with Ethan in tow.  Early.  Like before sun-up. She doesn't like to go to the doctor alone because "I never remember what he/she said." or "I didn't understand what he said, you know those doctors speak so softly and quickly...."  I understand that because sometimes I come home wondering what the doctor (or Mike Jones, haha!) just told me and was too embarrassed to let them know that I didn't understand/hear/etc.  I was glad to go and be the interpreter for my sister who is the family keeper of medical information.  Mom was pretty spry today, and seemed very with it and pooh-poohed my idea of marks on the calendar for the days she is to use her new medicine.  "I'll remember.  I don't need to write it down!"  Ummm....why did I need to drive 60 miles this morning before dawn??  Oh yeah, because I love my Mama.

By the time we left the Clinic, she had mentioned twice that she hadn't had time to eat her breakfast.  Off we went to McDonalds for a second breakfast for some of us.  (It was too early for Elevensies.)  Back to her apartment to find her money which she thought she had put in her purse.  Did all the necessary things that elderly women need to do and then headed for The WalMart.  She hadn't been to The WalMart in ever so long because it is so big and it makes her tired.  The doctor had advised her to get some leg-hugging socks to wear to help with the swelling in her legs, so we were off to find some new socks.  She decided she needed some Puffs since we were there and we also got her a new DVD player. (Hers quit working some time back.)  She was driving that crazy kiddee-cart (what my Daddy always called them) around like a NASCAR driver and frightened me enough be sure to walk beside her and not in front of her.  I was afraid she'd run me over and take out a couple of end-caps too!  But we lived through the shopping experience and drove off to the Coco China Buffet.  Worth the trip.  Worth getting up before the sun (and I really did leave home before the sun rose!)  We got to see Sue and pictures of her new 7 week old baby who has more hair on his head than I do.  Oh, he is beautiful.  And Sue was glowing, as usual.  You can just see the love of Jesus on that woman.  And did you know that Zhang is pronounced like chang?  (clang with an H?) I didn't until today.  It was a wonderful food experience.  Nothing for mom to complain about; her plate wasn't cold, the tea water was HOT and she liked everything she picked out to eat.  Remember that for future reference, she likes the mushrooms, green beans, honey chicken and the fish-eye (tapioca) pudding. 

Ethan and I then dropped mom off at her next appointment and went to see Kathy Curry.  She looked great and had a nice time in Florida last week with her mom who was recovering from heart surgery in Dallas the previous week.  (Thanks, Hat, for being willing to go up there if she had been alone.  Kathy appreciated that you'd have done that more than you know.)  I think that making new friends is wonderful, but there's nothing like old friends (and I don't mean that Kathy and Quinn are old. Even if they are older than me.) We put gas in the Buick. We drove back to Mom's and realized that I forgot to pick up her new medicine.  Bad daughter.  I left Ethan to set up the new DVD player, drove back to Walgreens to get the meds and then picked Mom up and took her home.  She was very tired by this time and talking about her pain medicine that she takes when she has the back spasms.  Ethan put in a DVD for us to watch to make sure the new player worked and we all vegged for a bit before she threw us out so she could go to supper. 

I bored you with all that to get to this.  I asked Mom's doctor today if I was looking at Doreen's and my future.  He said that this was an excellent question.  (I love it when I ask the right questions!)  He told me we really didn't have much to go by in predicting the future except to look at our family who has gone there before us.
That is just plain frightening.  Her medical chart is so thick, thicker than a Large-Print Bible.  She is allergic or sensitive to just about every kind of medicine and what she is not allergic to, she is already taking.  She's bent over like a C and even her innards are 'bout done.  Poor Ethan was called about every grandson's name today but his own as she introduced us to everyone she passed.  Even those whom we've "met" 10 or 15 times. It was like spending the day with a pre-school child.  You hear the same thing over and over and over.  You have to make sure they don't fall down or get hurt on something.  You have to help them into their car seats.  You have to hold their hands when they walk and put food on their plates.  You have to shush them sometimes and you have to speak loudly to get their attention.  You have to love them and watch them go to this awful place where many of us will also go.  I am thankful for my mom. I'm very blessed that I still have her in my life.  I will listen to her tell me things, even if I've heard them 5 times already.  I will hold her hand and help her with her plate.  I need to remember that she is precious in the sight of the Lord and I need to sow seeds of compassion and tenderness towards her.  I want my children to "rise up and call me blessed" when I am old and not complain about me as I have/still do.  Lord, go before me and put a watch over my mouth. 

It dawned on me today that the people who take care of mom not only hear the same stories, complaints, introductions, etc., every day from my mom...they hear it from EVERYONE THEY SEE, ALL DAY, EVERY DAY!!  I have this to say to you: GOD BLESS YOU WONDERFUL PEOPLE WHO FEEL CALLED TO WORK IN ASSISTED LIVING, NURSING HOMES AND GERIATRIC MEDICINE!!!!! 

This week's photo challenge is The Moon.  I don't have any moon pictures.  Last week's photo challenge was My Heart's Desire.  That took too much thought, so I skipped it. The week before that was Something Borrowed.
I couldn't think of anything during that week but I was given something last week and I "borrowed" it for the challenge.  My daughter Larissa attends a small group and the families  travel to different houses each week.  It was Jim and Glenda's turn and Jim went up to the office where they have a big window that faces west.  When he opened the blind in the office, this is what he saw.......
 
Is this not one of the most amazing things you've ever seen?