Christmas

The forecast was for a blizzard; in fact, newscasters were calling it the biggest storm since the Halloween Blizzard of 1991 days before it was predicted to hit. Christmas was only a few days away and a Christmas blizzard was on its way!

The stage was being set… John and Liz were already here from CA, and Mike was due in the same time the blizzard was supposed to start.

Thank God for the blizzard warnings! Because of them, Bill, Chris, and I packed our bags, and headed to Woodbury with the intention of staying two nights – the plan materialized only because of the snow warnings issued. We didn’t want to travel home after our Christmas Eve celebration only to risk being able to make it back again for our Christmas Day celebration.

God created a Christmas cocoon for us. It was wonderful. We didn’t know it at the time, but the stage was being set for an amazing Christmas.

This was the first Christmas Mom and Dad had all four children home in a very long time (Mike thought it was at least twenty years). We were excited!

We were tucked away, safe and warm, as the snow swirled and piled up around us. We were almost oblivious to the outside world. It was priceless.

It seems as though everyone had a really special gift for each other. Chris was thrilled Grandma loved her neck pillow and Susan Boyle CD. I was equally as excited how much she loved the book of her quilt pictures Bill and I made her and the Joyce Meyer DVD set!

Mom may not have been able to go out shopping on her own this year, but she made sure everyone had something really special and thoughtful. Dad was put to the challenge to make sure her wishes were carried out, and dad met the challenge. I think mom’s favorite gift given were the three sets of suspenders they gave to Don. He loved them too. Mom’s eyes sparkled and danced when she saw how much he liked them. She laughed with joy.

However, the special Christmas did not revolve around material gifts, the mega gift opening frenzy only contributed to celebration and the greatest gifts of all – of our family spending special time together.

I think of the time after the gift opening when Chris, Ashley, Matthew, and Samantha were in one circle on the living floor playing Matt’s new game; Mike, Sandy, John, and I were gathered around Mom visiting on the other side of the room; while a third group gathered around the appetizers on the bar; and thinking this is Christmas and what Christmas is all about – family and being together with our loved ones.

It was an amazing Christmas. We did not get our Christmas blizzard. In fact, the snow turned to rain and petered out. We didn’t care what was or wasn’t going on in the outside would. We were happy to be together.

I thank God for the special Christmas and the special time together – for wrapping us up in His cocoon for a couple or remarkable days. I thank God for my family.

Christmas Came Early

I think Christmas should always come early, and it should be celebrated late as well, and…. well, you get the idea. I don’t see anything wrong with stretching out the celebration. It is such a special occasion. What if we celebrated Christmas all year round!? What would that be like? I stray…

Christmas came early this year, as it often does. Bill and I took Mom and Dad to the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis on Sunday to see A Christmas Carol. The timeless classic tale was very well done, and we enjoyed the show very much. It was fun to see the sparkle in Mom’s eye (see the picture) our outing brought. Merry early Christmas, Mom and Dad.

I pray Christmas comes early in year heart and shines throughout the coming year. His precious name is Jesus. We should celebrate the birth of our Savior all year round.
God bless everyone!

ALS Support Group

We’ve been attending ALS Support Group at the University of Minnesota since July, and we have found this activity to be immensely helpful. Dar often has four or more family member supporting her every month.

If you or a family member is battling this terrible disease, I would strongly suggest you find a support group.

I remember the first time we went. It was scary! If I found it scary, I wondered how much more so Mom must have found it. The scariest was the point where caregivers and family members separate from the patient with ALS (PAL).

Mom’s fear wasn’t any different than the fears of anyone else who ever had to make the bold and courageous step to attend a support group – she was afraid of what it would be like to see other people who were in an even tougher place, a place where she would likely be headed.

I think Mom went the first time for us. She’s like that. Mom is always thinking of everyone else, especially her kids. My sister and I shared with her that we really needed to go. In fact, I was in a place where I thought I needed to go even if she didn’t.

The second Tuesday in July we attended our first meeting. As eager as I was to give a support group a try, I was nervous as the day and hour approached. I wasn’t sure what to expect.

I remember sitting there the first day. I found myself wondering if I had made a terrible mistake! Just as Mom was afraid, there were many people much farther down the ALS path than we were and it was frightening, when you thought about it, to see. I was wondering if we should have come. I was wondering what Mom was thinking. I was worried that we shouldn’t have brought her.

The first hour of Group is for all; a speaker presents ALS related information to the entire group. When it was time to split up for the second part, caregivers and family moving downstairs while PALS stayed in the room, I was really worried about leaving my mom alone. She couldn’t speak (because of her ALS) and she seemed so helpless in the room full of strangers. She gave me the “thumbs-up” signaling that she was okay, and we left her alone, not knowing what was going to happen next.

When I walked back into that room to pick her up I was amazed. My mom had made several new friends. It was obvious by the look on her face as well as the looks on her comrade’s faces. Mom’s eyes were sparkling, as were the eyes of those around her. She said she had a wonderful time. It was nice to be around people like herself she later wrote us on her white board.

I understood. It was good for me to be around people like me too. There is a great comfort in being surrounded by people who understand the difficult road we are being asked to walk with my mother. The people who ran the group as well as the people who attended the group were all so nice and welcoming. It was as if they all remembered how scary their first meeting was and they reached out to us to help us feel welcome. We cam back the next month, and the next… we haven’t missed a Group yet!

My mom lights up the room every time we go. She reaches out to others in such a way that their faces light up in response. My mom, my hero, is a remarkable person. She is an inspiration to all who meet her.

We went to the ALS Support Group Holiday Party with our new friends last week. We participated in the White Elephant Gift Exchange and had a nice time. The pictures are from the party. We are thankful to MDA for offering this support group and appreciate all our new friends.