Grandma H's First Week With Us

We are finally home! Arrived last Wednesday evening to be exact. And let me tell you, for me to say “home sweet home” is an understatement. While waiting for Mom (aka Grandma H) to get better, I literally lived out of a suitcase for almost a month. Furthermore, I slept on a hospital cot for about two and a half weeks. Needless to say, I am thrilled that all of the unpleasant events are in the past!

Now, there’s a new adventure in the mix. My family size increased by one. We are happy that Grandma H is here with us. But we’re also still trying to figure out what her likes and dislikes are. It’s been difficult because her speech is still impaired and her brain is still healing.

In a nutshell, here’s what our new adventure has been like since Grandma H has been with us:

Wednesday, January 1^st~ Got home late, had a quick meal and tried to get everyone ready for bed. My husband brought a bed-set downstairs to the living room for Grandma H so she could have something soft and comfortable to sleep in. Well, neither she nor I got any sleep the entire night. She refused to lie down and sat there in bed until she dozed off. When awakened, she yelled for assistance to the bathroom. A majority of the time, she really didn’t need to go; she just sat there. When back in bed, she didn’t sleep. Just sat there and yelled every hour or so. I’m surprised there weren’t any cops at our door during the wee hours of the night from all that yelling and screaming.

Thursday, January 2^nd~ Around 8 a.m. I went downstairs and found Grandma H sitting on the floor near the kitchen. Somehow she had manage to utilize her good side (left arm and leg) to get off the bed and maneuvered her way to the kitchen. When I asked what she was doing out of bed, her response—“I was hungry.” Immediately I checked to see if she was injured or sustained any broken body parts. She said she wasn’t hurt from the event. Thank goodness!

During the day Grandma H took catnaps. However, at night she would stay up entire yelling and screaming. Frequent trips to the bathroom were pretty much similar to the first night (January 1^st); she just sat there.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday were almost identical to the events that took place on January 2^nd.  Even with an over-the-counter sleep aid pill, Grandma H refused to rest. It’s like she's immune to the sleeping pill. It was obvious that by the end of the week I was feeling pretty much like a walking zombie. I’m so glad that my husband was able to pick up the pieces, such as made dinner and cared for M (our daughter). On a side note, I did try to squeeze in some speech therapy by helping her identify kitchen items, such as cup, spoon, fork, ect. Grandma H tried her best to pronounce them correctly. However, we have a long way to go.

As some of you may already know, taking care of an elderly (and physically disabled) family member is HARD WORK! Especially when you’re not sure what they want, and they themselves don’t really know what they want. So, at this point, I’m just trying to figure out what makes Grandma H comfortable and for her to sleep thru the night. We love her and want to see her happy. In addition, we'd like to see Grandma H get back to her normal self again. That's our ultimate goal.

Tragic News

On Monday morning I received news that my mother had suffered from a stroke.

I thought I was prepared for any bad news. But that was not the case. I was actually in shock and it took a little while for everything to sink in. When it finally sunk in, I was in tears. I felt lost and could not focus on anything.  There were many tasks that day that I had left unfinished. When my husband got home from school that afternoon, I informed him of what happened. Minutes later, he was looking for airline flights for me, and I flew out the next day.

According to my older brother, the terrible event took place around 4 a.m. He was asleep but thought he heard a faint cry for help coming from my mother's room. He quickly got up to check, and found her body limp, but her hands held tight onto the door knob. Medics were immediately called, and they arrived soon after.

My brother and sister-in-law never left my mother's side. They stayed with her until I arrived. And have been back to visit everyday since. My nieces and nephews, and extended family members were also there, for support. They are awesome like that. 

According to the neurologist, my mother had an ischemic stroke. The right side of her body is paralyzed. Her speech is majorly impaired, thus making it difficult to understand her. However, for the most part, she is alert and aware of her surroundings.

Today is Thursday, December 5th. She is now at the inpatient rehab facility, which is part of the hospital. Physical therapy will start tomorrow. Right now, the goal is to have physical, occupational, and speech therapy one hour a day, six days a week for the next three or four weeks.

I am amazed at how fast my mother is progressing.  I believe this was made possible through the power of love and prayer from friends and family. On behalf of my family, especially my mother, I would like to thank everyone for thinking of us and remembering us in your thoughts and prayers. I will try to keep everyone updated on her progress.

183rd Semi-annual General Conference

Image source: http://www.mormonchannel.org/

For members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the first weekend in October (and the first weekend in April) is when we get to watch a worldwide televised broadcast of counsels and instructions given by chosen church leaders. This broadcast is called, General Conference. Each speaker delivers both inspirational and uplifting messages. Each message is unique, and touches our heart in different ways. Each message addresses issues and concerns that are going on in the world around us. And most definitely, these messages (or counsels) can be compared to as a "guide map" for our everyday life decisions.

A wide range of topics were shared during the two days of conference. For example, President Thomas S. Monson shared with us certain matters concerning eternal love, faith, endurance, and perseverance. I can testify to you that President Monson is truly a marvelous man of God. He has a way of telling stories that you'll remember years from now. Should you have a desire, or just a glimpse of curiosity to know what was shared the past two days of conference, feel free to click on this link (October 2013 General Conference). It will take you to the church's official website and from there you can choose from a number of different conference talks. I hope you will enjoy these inspirational and heart-warming messages as much as I did.

Going down memory lane, I will admit that when I was a young convert to the church, I was not a big fan of sitting for a total of four hours a day (a morning and an afternoon session on both Saturday and Sunday) and listen to different speakers share messages about gospel related stories. Yes, you heard it right. I was not thrilled about General Conference.  Aside from having to sit for long periods of time, I believe that I wasn't excited for General Conference because I was a bit too young (in convert years) to fully understand the importance of it all.

Latter on though, as I grew in age and have gained better understanding of the gospel, I found myself appreciative of the efforts that each speaker has put forth in their talks. This past weekend is no different; I was eager to watch and take heed to each church leader's inspired messages. And I look forward to the next General Conference that will take place the first weekend in April 2014.

Before I go, I just thought I'd include a short video on the history of the Latter-day Saints Conference Center, and a link (Mormon Channel) to video highlights from this weekend's General Conference.

 

Love. Desire. Courage. Faith.

"What parent would postpone looking for the child until a handbook was written?" ~ Russell M. Nelson

This past Sunday I watched one of the most inspirational broadcasts put forth by leaders of the church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; also known as “Mormons”). In a nutshell, the worldwide broadcast was about missionary work, and how every (church) member should do their part in sharing the gospel with their non-Mormon friends and family. As I listened to the speakers, I kept thinking about the biblical commandment that says “…Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Matthew 22:39).

To me, the two hour long program was more than about church leaders urging us to share the gospel with our non-Mormon friends and family. To me, there’s a deeper meaning. To me, the messages were about love, desire, courage and faith.  LOVE for all mankind; without prejudice. With LOVE, comes the DESIRE to share the things that we feel are precious to us; which, in this case, is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Next on the list would be COURAGE. It takes COURAGE to speak up about our religious beliefs. And it takes COURAGE to extend invitations to our non-Mormon friends and family (and to complete strangers). It's not easy to ask someone if they would be interested in learning about the "Mormon" faith and to attend church meetings/activities/functions.  Finally, to have enough FAITH that positive things can and will transpire as a result of our efforts.  

With that said, aside from the time when I was a full-time missionary (many moons ago) where I actually enjoyed knocking on doors and invited strangers to hear about the gospel of Jesus Christ, I think I can essentially count on one hand the number of times when I truly conversed with my non-Mormon friends and family about my religion. My first “missionary” experience was when I was 16 years old. I don’t remember how the conversation got started. But I do, however, vividly recall the part where I was talking to my friend on the phone and read a few verses from The Book of Mormon.  

  

As I read the scripture, I could feel the Holy Ghost; that warm and calm feeling inside my heart. The most amazing part was that my friend felt the same thing. We continued talking for a while (about the church, Joseph Smith, the scriptures, and life in general). I invited him to attend church with me. And I am most certain he said he’ll attend. But as the days drew nearer to the weekend, something came up and he wasn’t able to make it to church. I was sad, of course.  However, I also understood that sometime things don't always go the way I had hoped.  And I was okay with it because I knew that things will work out in the end. After all, the Lord has a plan for each of us. We just need to have faith and continue on with purpose in our lives.