Always Something There To Remind Me

Note to self.........all doctor appointments will be scheduled after 10 A.M.........


We had an 8:45 appointment today, which is not so bad in itself, but we had to travel to the north side of town along with 100,000+ other people who had to be at work by 9:00. We got Paul up at 6:15 and cooperative was not an attitude he remembered. He kept giving giving his "5 minutes more" sign and so Jon had to swing his legs down to the floor to help Paul catch our drift. Paul took Jon's hands and pulled himself up slowly. He was a very tired young man today. The doctor appointment was to get a general check up from Paul's internist and everything was good. The follow up xray taken last week showed that the lungs were clear. It also showed that the ribs are healing and actually may be completely healed. They can remain very sore for months though. The next appointment will be the opthamologist. We were not able to get to that appointment last week as it took so long to get Paul ready and out the door. I have learned not to get stressed over these things, since I don't have much control over it anyway! It was a blessing that Jon went to the doctor appointment with me toay. I dropped Paul and Jon off and then went to the parking garage which was a good hike away. As I parked, Jon called me on my cell phone and let me know that the doctor was no longer located in that building. I picked them back up and we proceeded about a 1 mile down the road to the correct location. Had I been alone, we would have missed the internist appointment also. Crisis averted.......

Paul had a very down day on Sunday. He was definitely in a foggy state. We were able to go to Mass and Paul had much better endurance this week. But he was particularly fidgety at Mass. He got home and was not able to really stay very oriented and he did not remember his address or anyone's birthdate (although isn't that common for most men?? Okay, that's a joke!) and other things that he had been able to remember so often. So it appeared his brain was busy doing some repair work on Sunday.

At Mass, we received a relic of Blessed Teresa from one of the women who had come to our home to pray over Paul. She and her husband volunteer at the home run by the Missionaries of Charity and they were allowed to bring the relic to us to keep until Tuesday. Also, we received 4 medals of the Immaculate Heart of Mary that were blessed by Blessed Teresa. We were so happy to have received these and have placed them on the table with the relic of St. Paul. We have started to say the rosary every night before Paul falls asleep and it was so much more special as we said it Sunday night. Paul fell asleep with his rosary in his hands.

God has blessed this day to be sure. My sister Mary Beth consulted with a therapist she knows and was given some advice on how to help Paul with his swallowing liquids. I worked with Paul yesterday morning and he had success with the method, but I wondered if he would be able to duplicate it again. At lunch, I started with giving Paul milk on a teaspoon. After about 8 teaspoons, he was basically impatient and wanted to drink the milk. I explained that he needed to sip the milk, not take a big drink. He followed my instructions and he swallowed easily. He tried it again and had success. Tonight at dinner, he tried immediately to drink milk and I reminded him to sip the milk. He did and stopped as if he would not be able to swallow. I told him to clear his throat, then lower his chin and then swallow. He did each step and was able to swallow. He then went on to have ice cream and as it melted, he had a bit of trouble with it. He took too big a spoonful and I felt that he would not be able to follow through with swallowing that much. He looked at me and gave me the '1 minute' sign and then cleared his throat, and tried again. He kept at it for almost 45 seconds, and then finally I heard him gulp as he swallowed it. He looked up and gave me a big smile and a thumbs up. I jumped up and hugged him and Jon did the same thing. Paul saw his dad coming at him and he said "Easy", which had us laughing all the more. Paul finished his ice cream and then asked for a cup of milk. I got it and he did very well until the last drink. He sat there for about 2 minutes, so I called Jon (son) on the cell phone and handed the phone to Paul to let him talk to his brother. He took the phone, and I could tell he wanted to swallow his milk so much. I reminded him to lower his chin, which he did and then he swallowed again with a big gulp. He then put the phone to his ear and asked "are you still there?"
I heard Jon tell him how proud he was of him and to keep up his efforts. I was glad Paul had been able to have a success with this and that he was surrounded by his family. I could tell he felt proud of himself and I can't help but be hopeful that he will continue to improve with each passing day.

We also went shopping today at the grocery store. I had Paul push the cart through the whole store. I had hoped he would pick out some food he would want to eat, but everything I asked him about he responded with "no thanks". We saw Fr. Paddy and Deacon Mike from St. Stephens and the funny thing was, Paul realized that Deacon Mike had called out to me and I had not heard him. So Paul tapped me and then pointed to Deacon Mike to let me know I had been spoken to! Paul put all the groceries onto the counter and I had him handle the transaction with my debit card, which he was able to do well.

It was a good day and I am so thankful for it. Always something there to remind me ....that there is joy if we look to Jesus every day. He waits for us and fills us with His peace and love when we trust in His ways.

Blessed Teresa message from 1992:

The Joy of Loving Jesus
May you keep the joy of loving Jesus in your hearts and share that joy with all you come in contact with. That radiating joy is something real, for you have no reason not to be happy because you have Christ with you - Christ in your hearts, Christ in the Eucharist, Christ in the poor that you meet, Christ in the smile that you give and in the smile that you receive. Yes, you must live life beautifully and not allow the spirit of the world that makes gods out of power, riches, and pleasure make you forget that you have been created for greater things - to love and to be loved.


God bless all of you and your intentions will be remembered in our rosary tonight. May the Immaculate heart of Mary lead you to a more perfect love for her Son, Jesus Christ!

Love,
Jon and Rebecca