Mom & Her BFF

On Monday, Mom's dear friend, Paula, and her husband, Dick, drove up from Massachusetts to visit with Mom for the afternoon.

 

 

Mom and Paula are both originally from England and always have had a lot in common.

 

 

It takes a long time to grow an old friend. 

~John Leonard

 

But if the while I think on thee, dear friend,
All losses are restored and sorrows end.~William Shakespeare 

 

Joanne, Mom & Paula



Mom continues to improve a little more each day from her two strokes and ensuing pneumonia. Her progress still seems like a miracle to us.

First Light

Since Mom has been in the hospital, I've been keeping my sister Joanne company at Mom's condo in Portland one or two nights a week. Since I tend to fall asleep on the living room couch, I have an amazing view of the sunrise over the harbor each morning.

 

As the easternmost state in the continental U.S., the sun comes up early in Maine, especially here along the coast.

"The nearer the dawn the darker the night."  

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (Portland, Maine, 1807-1882)

Lobster boats have already begun heading out to sea...

While pleasure craft sit snugly at the dock, awaiting summer.
 

Did you notice that the sailboat in the middle has a light on in the galley? It, and a few other boats in the marina, have propane heaters and are lived in year round...Brrr!
 

The 6:15 ferry from Peak's Island arrives in Portland
 

As the sky lightens, another day begins.



"Not knowing when the dawn will come I open every door."

Emily Dickinson

Today Was a Gift

Mom was awake and able to sit up and talk today.

We all made the most of the chance to spend more time with her...
 

Kristen & Grammy:  Hand in Hand

Andi, Mom & Kristen



Grammy with Rob and Kristen Underwood



Mark & Joanne with Mom



The Whole Gang:  Cheryl, Robert, Andrea, Hank, Mark, Joanne, Kristen, & Mom

 

 

 

 

 

 







"Grammy" & Kristen say Goodbye

 

Each day together seems like a new miracle...

 



The 150 Project #2: OMG, I Have a Personal Trainer!

Welcome to the "150 Project"...
One of my "Retirement Resolutions" was to get healthy...hence the "150 Project". That's my goal weight on Weight Watchers. Putting that number right out there keeps me from going back into denial. I was also a smoker. I quit in June 2013,  on the day I retired from teaching. Now that I'm retired, I hope to add exercise to my program. Posting my progress on the "150 Project " is my way of keeping myself honest, tracking progress, and, just maybe, inspiring others because...if I can do it, anyone can!
~Cheryl

 

Since my Mom has been ill, it's ironic that physical exercise has been what has kept me from losing my mind  somewhat sane. If you knew me you would know why that is totally out of character:

  

 I absolutely hate  to sweat. 

 

John of "Body by John"...not scary at all!

 

But...desperate times call for desperate measures!

 



Having gained back almost 10 pounds since I quit smoking last June, I made a New Year's resolution to add exercise to my Weight Watchers program in 2014.
 

 I didn't really think I would keep it.

My first day at Body by John

Mom being admitted to the hospital on New Year's Eve seemed like just the excuse I was searching for to break my resolution...until the trainer called me! The gig was up...I was out of excuses. It was like an out-of-body experience when I heard someone with my voice agree to a "free assessment of my physical strength, flexibility and percentage of body fat". Moi???



My trainer, Ben

OMG!!! Did I really just agree to THAT? With a muscle-bound young male trainer? At a gym? In spandex? Just kill me now.



My trainer, Ben



But sometimes the unexpected happens. The gym is small and there are no spandex-clad 20 year olds there while I'm working out. My trainer, Ben, isn't scary at all...he's firm but very sweet. And I'm not only able to do what he asks of me, I'm enjoying it.



 

 

 Hey, I'm 66 years old and hanging out with guys like Ben and John...

 

And I'm doing things I never ever ever thought I could do...

like "Planking"...



 and "Inch Worms".

 

I've even learned to embrace the pain of "LEG DAY".
 

After two months of training four times a week, I can't believe that I've actually stayed with it.  Maybe my body has been taken over by an alien?  I love my time at Body by John and I'm no longer afraid to sweat a little. I feel more energetic and more confident. What I have always avoided has become a gift of additional strength...

Just when I need it most.

 

 

p.s. Thanks, Ben, John and Pam!

 

 

 

 

Some Things Just Can't Be Explained

According to Mom's doctor, things sometimes happen that medicine just can't explain.

 

After being told on Tuesday that our Mom had only days to live due to aspiration pneumonia, we got a call from the doctor early Thursday morning saying. "You may want to get in here...your Mom is wide awake and talking. She no longer shows any sign of pneumonia and her temperature is normal".

 

We all rushed over. Mom was indeed awake and alert, after days of high fever and non-responsiveness. The doctors said that we should just enjoy this gift of more time with our Mom, and we did. Joanne and Mark even brought Mom's cat, Tabby, in for a visit. (Mom calls Tabby her "pride and joy" and there is some light-hearted debate in the family about where the cat stands in Mom's affections in relation to her daughters.)



On Wednesday, Mom's condition had been so critical that my son, Rob, took the train to Maine from NYC, arrived at 1:30 a.m. and went to visit "Grammy" with me at 2:00 a.m. Thursday morning. Joanne and Mark were already there.  Six hours later, the fever had broken and Mom had spontaneously beaten the pneumonia...without antibiotics.



The doctor said that he is unable to explain Mom's recovery. He shared that this was only the second time in his medical career that he had seen anything like this happen in a patient in Mom's condition. He warned us to enjoy these moments and not get too hopeful, but it feels like a miracle to have this time with Mom.

And maybe it is...

On Thursday morning, my husband, Hank, took off the gold cross he has always worn and placed it on my Mom's neck.



She has been awake since.

 



  

This morning, Mom is sitting up in a wheelchair visiting. Her feeding tube has been restarted. Her left side is still weak and her speech is slurred but she is back with us for now. We're amazed and incredibly grateful.

 

 

Who knows?

"There are only two ways to live . . . one is as though nothing is
        a miracle. . . the other is as if everything is."
                                                                                            - Albert Einstein