HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010

Happy New Year! I have heard a lot of people say that they are happy to see 2009 go and are looking forward to a better year for 2010. What we have learned here is that time is irrelevant. It doesn't matter what year it is. It doesn't matter what month or day it is. Each day is unique and holds its own challenges and rewards. Each day we wake up is a good day! That is Mom's philosophy and it is a good one. We can't change (or remember) yesterday so today is the day to make a difference.

Mom loves going to church! It has become slightly more of a challenge lately as she likes to socialize more than pray! Especially if children sit near us. And of course there are at least two opportunities during the service to "visit" with people - at the beginning with Brother Paul tells us to turn and greet our neighbors and later when Deacon Gary tells us to share a sign of peace. Redirecting her and telling her to turn around and pay attention is reminiscent of bringing children to church. As we pass babies or small ones, I tell Mom "no touching" and steer her away. Before long, I'll have to talk to the lady in charge of the church nursery and see if she is too old to go in there during services!

Of course we went to IHOP afterwards. They have different seasonal promotions and the most recent one here has eggnog pancakes, pumpkin spice pancakes and pecan pie pancakes among other things. Mom has been having the pecan pie pancakes instead of the usual strawberry.

This past week, Mom has been bringing things from her room to show me (over and over again) and to talk about them. Many of the things are items she made when she was at Tanglewood and had stashed away so that no one would take them without paying for them. This week it has been small Christmas ornaments she painted and several small tote bags that she painted. She brought the tote bags out again yesterday so I suggested that she bring them with us to church to give to people there. Mom did bring them but decided to leave them in the car. At IHOP I decided those bags were not coming home with us, so I took them in with us and "facilitated" her giving three of them to the three waitresses there - all of whom know us. That left two unclaimed and Mom continued to try to communicate to the girls about giving these bags to "the others". There really were no others there and I knew that before we left Mom would be headed to strangers in the restaurants and/or the cooks in the kitchen with these bags. This all leads up to my big confession: there are times that I totally take advantage of her muddled memory and thinking and this was one of those times. When Mom was distracted, I slid those last two bags out of sight and carefully kept them so until we got home and I could tuck them away. Mom has not questioned it and I am sure that in her heart and mind, she gave the good people at IHOP, all of those hand painted tote bags.

I have used this same strategy when giving her the same clothes that she has had for years. This occurred to my totally by accident when I brought out the winter clothes this year. I washed them and took them to her to put away and she thought I had been shopping and bought her new clothes. I went with it and took the hugs and thank-yous. It was easier than explaining it. Since then, I have given her the same new clothes several times.

Today Mom has been up and had her breakfast of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Let me also tell you that this is no ordinary PB&J. Mom fixes her own sandwich with about a half inch of peanut butter one one piece of bread and about two heaping tablespoons of strawberry jam on the other piece. That's breakfast along with a dozen pills. And she swallow ALL of the pills with at once with one gulf of water! Mom usually has the PB&J and a couple Nonnies to dunk in her coffee but this morning I made fresh biscuits which she also ate with some jam. She, Joe and Julie are all back in bed for the first of their Sunday snoozes.

With everyone otherwise occupied, I will get the kitchen floor mopped. Joe has already run a couple loads of laundry. Four dogs, two birds and a turtle have been fed also. And no, there is no partridge in a pear tree if that is what your heard.

Just know that we are all well and extremely blessed! Each new day! Let's not wait until 2011 to have a good year. God has a magnificent plan for us and we just have to wait for it to unfold to His glory - each new day. Do I hear an AMEN?