Sorry for the neglect!

Hi Everyone,

Sorry for the neglect of my blog lately, but as most of you know I had to make a rushed trip home to Texas on Dec. 27th as my mother had had a massive heart attack and was on a respirator and in a coma. On Dec. 30th, thru a comedy of errors, we managed to get my father loaded into the back of a work van on a mattress and took him to the hospital, the ICU staff met us downstairs with a gurney and took him up to see mom. Once he saw her and talked to the drs. about her condition and with us, he agreed it was best to take her off the respirator and put her into God's hands. He originally said to do it the next day, but I requested we wait until the Jan. 1st as the 31st was my birthday and once he realized this he agreed to wait until Fri. So on Jan. 1st we all gathered again around her and the drs. removed her from the respirator. Dad stayed as long as he could, but started hurting, so my sister, Melanie, her DH, Jimmy and my DH, Harold (he flew in on the 31st) took him back home. My brother, Gary and I stayed with her. Shortly after they left she stopped breathing and shortly after that her heart stopped. She went peacefully.

As hard as it has been to lose my mother, I am getting by. I have decided that New Year's Day will not be a day of sadness. It will continue to be a day to celebrate, both the New Year and the start of her new life with God. I know she is happy now (even more so than she was in life) and she is no longer in any pain. She had been suffering a great deal with arthritis, bursitis and fibromyalgia in her knees. She suffers no more.

To add to the situation, Harold's brother-in-law, passed away on Dec. 30th from Alzheimers and other complications. Oscar had been married to DH's older sister, Bonnye, until she passed away in 1990 from breast cancer. He remarried a little over a year later and about 10 years ago he was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimers. He declined quickly and for awhile had to be put into an Alzheimer home, but later had to return home where he has been the past few years and started declining rapidly the last 6 mths. or so. While we had not seen him in a long time, he will be missed as he was a very special person in our lives. We were able to go to his memorial service since it was held the day after mom's.

Dad's health is a little better than it was when I left in Oct., but he is still having problems. He had just returned home on Dec. 21st and got to spend the holidays at home. He is on the hospice program and a nurse comes in the morning to check on him and clean him up and such and then in the late afternoon/evening another nurse comes to treat any bed sores or anything he might have. We just switched him to an air mattress and that has been a big help in letting the few he had heal and keep more from forming at this time. My brother and his son are staying at the house and caring for him as well.

Well, I will close for now and try to get a few things posted...Christmas pics, family pictures taken before mom's memorial service and our postponed due to snow Christmas Party for my Red Hat Scarlet Sophisticates group ( I got home the day before, so I was able to go). Life goes on.

Thank you all for your support and condolences during this time.

Love,
Cindy