From God's perspective, was He sympathetically looking down on Virginia's children last night and this morning, watching them wringing their hands and trying to figure out what to do last night, what actually happened last night, and what their next steps, if any, should be?
I think so. It's our mother and from Jesus's perspective from the cross, He looked at His own mother, Mary, and wanted her to be cared for. So He gave John the responsibility and the honor of being her son.
We five have always been close, having come through a very dark time in our lives when we four children were small. We've remained close even though we have not always agreed with one another's viewpoints or beliefs. We are bound by love and kinship and we always rally around our mother for what is best for her.
And she needs us now. We are just trying to figure out what is best for her, honoring her in this illness - pulmonary fibrosis - trying to help her retain her dignity in episodes of illness, hospitalization, medication crises, and long-term care planning. It isn't the easiest thing to do since we are not all there at once, or as nearby as we would like to be when these questions arise, but we strive with patience to honor each other, treat each other with tenderness and understanding, and even if we have rough spots, never let her know it. Patience has long been a testing ground for me and I know I lose it under stress, but I don't mean to, and I ask God to help me remain calm.
Sher arrived at Mama's this morning and can spend the week if necessary. I plan to go Thursday afternoon or Friday morning early. Steve is there and needs a little guidance, being inexperienced in what to look for or what to ask; Mike has long driving hours in a trucking business. Home health nurses will assess and report to her doctor; Bren will call a social worker for guidance in what steps we should expect if a nursing home is in the future. Sher plans to at least look into that so we'll be informed. That is not our first choice; but Mama has to be able to take her medications as directed, be able to care for herself, even minimally such as hygiene and meals. Once her medications are on the right track and she is reassured that she has what she needs, maybe all this will level out once more. Until the next time. But we only have a day at a time, so that is what we focus on.
We five are bound together by love and we want to honor Mama and honor God by doing so. He will help us; He has always been with us and He will be through this as well. With God, we are six.
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