A Self-fulfilled Prophecy?!

Well – talk about a self-fulfilled prophecy! I talked yesterday about Mother not being able to use the walker much longer – instead we will have to start using the wheelchair. Today, when I got her up, changed her and started in to the living room, she pooped out – said she couldn’t walk any further and we were still in the bedroom! I got the wheelchair out and used it to take her into the living room. When I tried to move her from the wheelchair to her chair, I couldn’t do it! If Jody had not been there to help me, I’m afraid she would have fallen.

I think part of the problem is that she is so afraid of falling, that she stiffens up which makes it harder to move her from place to place. The second time I had to move her – to take her to the bathroom – we had no problem. I was able to move her from the chair to the wheelchair, take care of her in the bathroom and move her back to her chair.

When I got ready to put her to bed tonight, I lifted her from the chair and had the wheelchair right beside us. She got scared again and I wasn’t able to get her in the wheelchair. I actually had to sit her down on the floor – gently – and let Jody help me get her back up and into the wheelchair.

I’m so afraid that she’s going to fall and get hurt! It’s not only that my Mom is not a small woman, but I also have degenerative disc disease in my back, which certainly doesn’t help the situation! My prayer is that God will, not only, provide the strength necessary to move her from place to place, but also the knowledge to know how to do it properly to protect both her and myself from injury.

"And God is able to make all grace abound to you,

so that in all things at all times,

having all that you need,

you will abound in every good work."

2 Corinthians 9:8

Now on a lighter note – Mother has been so funny today! My dog’s name is China. She is a black Pug. Mother has taken her over, telling people that China belongs to her. This morning, she was calling her Muffin instead of China. So Jody and I just went along with her calling the dog Muffin! Of course, China didn’t respond because she had no idea who we were talking to when we called for Muffin.

Mother was dressed today in a pink gown and pink bootie house shoes. The chair she sits in is a recliner and I always put her feet up to prevent them from swelling. This evening when I got Mother her supper, I put her lap tray over her and put a bowl of stew and a biscuit on her tray for supper. I went back to the kitchen to fix her a drink and when I came back to her, she was looking all around the chair, on the floor and just really straining as if she were looking for something specific. I asked her what she was looking for and she pointed to her feet – in the pink bootie house shoes – and said she was “trying to figure out whose knees those were.” I laughed so hard it hurt! When Jody came in, I was telling him, but got so tickled trying to say it that he couldn’t even understand what I was trying to say! Mother thought it was funny too! It’s fun when some of her “before” (as in before dementia) comes out. She was such a practical joker and when she laughed, she laughed all over!

She’s down for the night now – we made it without anything bad happening, so I’m thankful for that. I’m trying not to worry about being able to provide the care she needs. I have to give it to God and know that he is in control! I know that he will provide everything I need in order to care for her. I want her to be here for the remainder of her life and my belief is that she will be and I will be able to properly care for her the entire time.

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God:

that if we ask anything according to his will,

he hears us.

And if we know that he hears us

—whatever we ask—

we know that we have what we asked of him.”

I John 5:14,15

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Mark 11:24