Ongoing caretaker news!
My stepdad Marvin is home from the rehab center. I can see the happiness in his soul. Still, coming home for Marvin is not what it was in his younger days, like coming home from vacation and experiencing the joy of sleeping again in your own bed. The surroundings are the same but the lifestyle is forever altered. He is tethered to a walker, so to speak, which makes simple tasks a huge challenge. Bathroom activities take time and effort, and he is generally in pain from his surgical wound and foot ulcers
The only downside to the homecoming: Marvin’s return home leaves mom alone at the rehab center. I will visit each night and have dinner there, and Marvin will come along sometimes. I also take her to doctor appointments during the day. We are all hoping that having Marvin home now will super motivate her to get stronger. Once home, we can set up visiting aides.
Tango is happy about Marvin’s return. He is at his best when he has a job, so he is taking his watchdog duties seriously. Like he did with Mom, Tango sits at Marvin’s feet, watching and listening for any threats! The Home Health nurse is here as I write, and Tango watches everything she does to Marvin. He stands ready at his feet as she maneuvers the stethoscope and oxygen sensor. Tango decides she is not bringing Marvin any harm and sits down while still assessing the situation.
I have a timeline now for my return west, where the in-utero grand baby is growing and thriving, still tethered to his mama. Meghan’s family is in Denver and the baby shower is there on August 26. I plan to leave around August 20th. This is all longer than I expected but, really, this time is a gift. After Denver, I will visit my friends in Central Colorado whom I missed last spring because of the late snow storm, then swing down to NM for my own doctor appointment, then repeat the drive north to my Northern Rocky Mountain haunts in plenty of time for baby Silas’ entry into the world!
New life and end of life. East and West. A rare balance.
Note: all this causes me to contemplate once again the process of death and dying as I did over the years with many parishners. For a great review of traditional worldviews on death and dying (with emphasis on Buddhist thought), click here.
