It's Just Plain Hard ... But Oh So Rewarding!

Just over a year ago, we learned that our lives would be changed for quite some time as we were going to need to care for Patty's mom who's husband chose to abandon her down in FL Where they were living and go off with another woman.  You see, Patty's mom is a cancer survivor but is unable to walk much more than a few steps and is not able to live alone without someone to help care for her needs.  For quite a few months, we thought we were moving to  Florida to move in with her but she lived in a 55+ park and we would not have been able to bring Becca with us.  So after much prayer and deliberation we decided to bring her back home to Kenosha to live with us.  What a blessing it has been for us to have her living with us and to have her as a part of our home and family!  With that, however, comes many challenges, especially for Patty and I.  My goodness, it takes a lot of work on both of our parts to find any kind of time to connect and spend some quality time just the two of us.  Our house is small and Joann's room door is always open.  Privacy is extremely difficult but we are still oh so blessed.

you see, I was spending the day with Joann today as Patty was out taking some time of to help her friend who just moved into their new home.  Patty has been not only caring for her mom but also working full time and she really just  needed some time to get out and relax and help her best friend for the day. So I chilled out with mom and spent the day with her

As we were sitting in her room having one of our lengthy conversations about life ... I began thinking about just how blessed I truly am.  She can hardly walk any more and is in constant pain.  She does get out now and then but it wares her out ... unless, of course, we're going to the casino ... then she perks right on up ... LOL ...But for most of the time she is in bed keeping her legs up to help with the circulation.  Day after day she does the same thing ... turns on the news and just sits there watching ... almost mindlessly hoping that soon, this day too will be done.  She's in her own prison within her body that refuses to give her much grace at all.

And so it was ... as we were sitting there talking, that I realized just how incredibly blessed I am.  First off, she's my mother in law and for the most part we get along just fine ... That in itself is a miracle ... LOL.  But more importantly, the Lord was showing me that Patty and I are obeying the 5th commandment found in both  Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5 where it talks about us honoring our parents and by doing so we will live long lives blessed by the Lord.  I began to think about all of the seniors who live alone and have no one around them to love them. They are just forgotten.  Families don't have time for them any more so they get carted off to a nursing home to sit out the rest of their life and die! Thee is no way we would allow that to happen with either of our parents. Yes, we realized that even though these years are not going to be easy ... in fact they'll be hard ... but that's OK because the reward of having mom here with us is priceless.  I am honored and oh so blessed that we are in the position to be able to provide her with the best care possible.  I'm also thankful that my sweet wife Patty is getting some quality time with her mom which she hadn't had for so many years.  Yes, it is just plain hard ... that's true ... but the rewards way surpass any hardship.  Thank you Lord for giving us this opportunity to love Joann and to share your love with her in and through us.  Some day, I know we will look back on these years and will see them as some of the best years in our married lives.  We are blessed!!!