In these articles, I talk a lot about the changes we encounter with Mom. We have to make so many little adjustments with the way we care for her. It made me think of all the ways we’ve adjusted details of our lives since this disease became a part of who we are as a family.
I’ve done the timelines before – here’s one – and how we first began to realize something was happening within Mom’s brain. It’s been many years of subtle losses and mental slipping away. My life has been greatly impacted. Dad has been impacted most of all and his adjustments have been huge.
Mom and Dad have been almost inseparable since he retired. Their biggest time apart was when one or the other went shopping. I couldn’t understand why each went shopping alone; now I think it must be so they wouldn’t have to be on the same timetable! After the accident, Dad took Mom’s keys and thankfully, he could distract her when she wanted to go out by saying he wanted to be her chauffeur. Other times, I came to get her and take her out so he could have a break.
As time and the disease progressed, Mom required more care than Dad and I could support. My siblings and I finally talked him into adding another caregiver. It was hard for Dad to adjust to the idea of having someone else in the house, but Jean was truly a blessing and a gift. She walked with Mom at the Aquatic Center so Dad could run through the baseball fields. Although it was an easy adjustment having Jean in our lives, it was still difficult to succumb to the idea of adding other caregivers when the time came.
Every new demand on our lives has required settling into a new routine. A broken arm here, a loss of balance there and we’re adjusting again to a new “normal.” God has provided strength for each change. We’ve lost so much, but gained in immeasurable ways, too.
More changes are certainly around the corner. More adjustments will no doubt have to be made. I am so grateful for a God who walks with us. On days when we can’t leap forward in faith, He’s there to cheer us on through each step, no matter how small.
