Update on Grace, Saturday, Aug 28

Saturday. Latest update 9:45 PM.

2:00 PM - Just a quick note before heading back to the duties of the day (I'm helping a friend move today).

Jan and I went to visit Grace about 9:00, stayed with her and helped her get a jigsaw puzzle started. We chatted a while, and she seemed just fine today.

Then we had to leave to go help with the move.

When we broke from moving for lunch, we stopped by to see Grace again, and Grace was just about to take a nap. So we only stayed a few minutes, then I laid her bed back some and turned out the light.

I apologize for this being a SHORT update, but I have to get back to help the movers now. More later, for sure!

Have a wonderful weekend!!

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9:45 PM - We just got back from our evening activities and a visit to see Grace.

First, let me share with you a bit of some of what all was going on today.

You may be aware that Jan and I are strongly considering joining the big Methodist church nearby; less than a year ago, they got a new assistant music minister, then the senior music minister quit, and the new guy (Michael) was doing the entire job for several months while they hired a new senior music minister (which they call "Pastor of Worship Arts"). All during this time I got to know Michael pretty well and we have become good friends.

Today, Michael was moving from his rental house to a house he's bought, the first one he's ever owned, and I was one of about six people who showed up to help him move.

The reason the earlier posting is so brief is that Jan and I went to visit Grace, then to help them load the truck, then we visited Grace on the way home for lunch, then I wrote that short blog posting, and headed back to help them unload the truck at the new house.

Not only did the move consist of about forty-three kabillion boxes, which fortunately were not so heavy as to be unliftable, but there was all the furniture, too, including a piano, which had to be taken out the patio door, down three steps to the patio, then up two more steps into the garage so we could load it into the truck.

Needless to say, I'm just a wee bit tired this evening.

Before I left this morning, I received a response to an email I'd sent to a friend yesterday, saying "We miss you!" He responded he was scraping the bottom of the barrel financially, couldn't find a job, had to sell his bassoon to pay bills, and was horribly depressed. I sent this response on to another good mutual friend (Mike), saying we should pray for our friend (John) and did he have any other ideas?

Then I went to load furniture, and on the way home for lunch, I got a call from Mike saying he was inviting John over for dinner, and would Jan and I come also?

So we did.

I left the unloading at 4:15 PM so I could get home and get cleaned up in time to go to that dinner. I told the other unloaders, "I'm sorry to cut out on you before the job is done. I know some of you are probably thinking I'm just leaving now so I don't have to unload that piano!" They laughed. I went on, "You may be right!"

Jan and I made it to Mike's house right on time, and John seemed quite cheered by the company. He's a really nice guy, and at least now he knows we still care about him.

On the way home from Mike's house, we went to visit Grace.

I know, WHEW! It's about time I got around to telling you about GRACE! I mean, isn't that why you're reading this posting, after all?

When we arrived at the room earlier today, Grace was reading her library book.

It's really good to see her reading the book, because I know it gives her good mental stimulation as well as some entertainment value.

When we arrived tonight, she was breathing through that respiratory therapy tube, and had her library book open. It looked like she had been reading it.

We apologized for being late, and explained to her why we were late, telling her pretty much the same thing I told you above. (See? There really WAS a good reason for telling you that.)

Then Jan told her chapter, verse, and footnotes about Mike and Penney's house.

About three months ago, Mike and Penney moved from a 34-year-old house into a 9-year-old house, a much nicer place, and neither Jan nor Grace had seen it before tonight. Grace has been full of questions about Penney's new house ever since they moved in.

By the way, Mike and Penney are both good friends of ours, and besides doing band events together, we sometimes also all go out to eat together.

So Jan told Grace all about how the house was decorated, and how it was set up, and what color the walls were and how big the kitchen was and how Penney had a nice sitting area she called her "keeping room" and how big the master bath is and how one of the rooms is Mike's "man cave" and one of the rooms is set up for Penney's Granddaughters to come visit - and Grace listened and smiled through the recitation.

Somewhere in there, the nurse came in and put away the respiratory therapy breathing tube.

Then Jan told Grace about the dinner Penney fixed, chicken tenderloins in olive oil rolled in parmesan cheese and crushed french fried onion rings and baked, and new potatoes and butter beans and fudge pie with a special rum-laced fudge sauce (are you hungry yet?), and Grace enjoyed hearing about all that as well.

We noticed the dregs of ice cream remnants in a cup on Grace's rollaway table, and Jan said, "I see you had ice cream, Mama. Did they bring that with your supper?"

Grace said, "I don't know. I don't remember if I ate. It's nine o'clock right now and I don't know whether it's morning or night."

Well, that's understandable, considering how erratic her sleep has been recently.

Then all three of us worked on the jigsaw puzzle we had brought her earlier today, and Grace even put in some pieces, too! Yay! Then we put the jigsaw puzzle away to clear off the table.

By this time, all three of us were yawning, so we started making "We better go" noises. But before we left, I found a pre-season football game on TV for Grace, and she was very happy about that. I turned on the reading light, which is a single fluorescent light on the wall over the head of the bed, and turned off the bright overhead fluorescents, and Grace was ready to fall asleep watching football.

I'm sure that's never happened to any of US, has it. (And we all open our eyes wide and shake our heads and say, "Oooohhh, no!")

The main thing I can say about Grace today is that her confusion, while still present at times, is definitely no worse, and she seemed sleepy most of the day. She even mentioned that she felt sleepy a lot. I told her it was probably because her body is busy healing, and sleep is one of the best ways it can heal.

Tomorrow, we'll visit Grace both before and after church, and I'll probably be back to tell you about those visits some time after noon (Central time).

So until then, take care all. Have a wonderful blessed Sabbath tomorrow, and yes, please keep praying for Grace.

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