Journal Entry from September 17, 2018
I’m not sure why, but as a morning person, I seem to be more productive in the evening. I find it a challenge to turn in at night but know that I must in order to get moving as early as I prefer. So waking to the alarm this morning was an intrusion into a good night’s sleep.
After showering, I pulled out the clothes that I purchased last week to find something fresh to wear to work. I had taken two hours out of a 16 hour work day to shop on Wednesday. When I went to check out they offered me a pre-sale where I could get 30% off my entire order if I waited until Saturday to pick them up. I think I found some comfortable and cute pieces that will work nicely. Of course there might be 2-3 items that will get returned because I don’t love them. I’ll need to go back and look at the receipt to see how much I paid for them. If there were heavily discounted I might hold onto them to add variety to my wardrobe. I’m not much of a shopper so I’ll probably keep them if I think I will wear them.
As I walk into work every morning, my mind begins making a checklist of the items I need to tackle first. I usually get around to tackling at least 2 of the 5 before an item on my desk, a phone call, an email, or other distractions throw my plan out the window. But at least I always get a couple of priority items done each day.
My biggest worry is still my father. He has had 3 surgeries in 3 months and continues to struggle. I’m so blessed to have siblings that live in our hometown and can look after my parents. Two of my sisters are hoping to come to Muncie for my son’s soccer senior night. If they can, it will be a last minute decision. They have never seen him play soccer and had hoped to make it over his senior year. When you come from a big, tight-knit family, everyone understands that sometimes “life” gets in the way of what we want to do. Living two hours away from my family, I have certainly missed my share of activities.
I just spoke with my sister. To say that we are frustrated with my father’s care would be a HUGE understatement. Individually, he has had some wonderful doctors, surgeons and specialists on his case. BUT it seems that no one is looking at the entire picture. One surgeon said that it should be his primary care physician but that doctor won’t even order a round of lab work. He will sit and talk baseball all day with him, but doesn’t want to get “involved” with his current condition. We have 5 of us siblings, and my aunt and uncle trying to advocate for him. How do people with no family or small families get the help they need?!!! And, my aunt is a nurse and my uncle has experience with the medical system!!! My father has diarrhea so bad that it is causing him to be so weak that he can’t even make it to the bathroom. We are truly afraid that he will die laying in a hospital bed due to extreme weakness; all the while nurses and specialist parade in and out. AND he is at Miami Valley Hospital – THE trauma hospital in Dayton.
Today is fairly lite as far as work goes and I was able to share an extended lunch with a friend. We try to visit at Pita Pit once every week or so. She is from New York and it is interesting getting a different perspective on such things as commuting, cost of housing, consumer debt, school systems, etc. Though we come across many differences, we find that there are more similarities in our lives than there are differences. She too worries about the health of her parents who are still living in New York. I guess we have finally reached that time in our lives.
As I get ready to leave work at 3:00, I get a call from my sisters – they can leave my Dad at the hospital and head straight to Muncie. They will be a few minutes late, but they are coming!!! My son will be excited when he sees them after the game. All of my children understand the importance of family and know how blessed we are to have strong connections on both sides of the family. We spend as much quality and quantity time with both. It was truly an awakening some 40 years ago when I first realized that not everyone has the treasure of a good family. I believe that is the best gift our parents, aunts, and uncles ever gave us. I went to an annual family reunion last month that has been going on annually for 60 years – without missing a year! At Christmas we need to rent a hall because we can no longer fit everyone in a single home.
While at the soccer game, we tailgated on the levy with my sisters and another senior family with hotdogs on the grill, chips, and beans. His sister even drove up from Greenwood, Indiana to watch him play. Senior introductions with parents took place at halftime and we celebrated with cake and punch after the game. Even though we lost, we enjoyed the experience of our youngest child nearing the end of a sport he has played and loved since the age of 3. Surprisingly, no tears of sorrow were shed. After all, it is just a game. He has been an above average player his entire “career” but has decided to leave it all behind as he pursues college and the next phase of his life.
Before heading to bed, I wait for messages from my daughter and sisters, making sure everyone made it home safely. A day filled with may gifts.