Christmas Eve

Today is Christmas Eve, and as always on this day I think of family. “My” family has always had their celebration on Christmas Eve, so it has a place in my heart as a special day. It is a day that I think back to those that have gone on, especially my parents. Mother, although certainly not a social butterfly, was determined that we would celebrate the holiday as a family. The tradition has sense been moved to Patsy’s house. We have managed to keep the tradition together, despite a few years of moving temporarily to other locations. My own kids do not think they have had Christmas unless they have been at Patsy’s. One year Lisa and Norman hosted the festivities, and while a good time was had, my kids wanted to be at Patsy’s. Perhaps the most memorable Christmas Eve was one we had at my house because Joe was in the hospital. A sudden ice event happened, and Lisa, Norma, and Leslie found themselves sleeping on our couch due to the closed interstate system. Santa still managed to find these displaced souls and left a bit of “habushi” under the tree for them.
I pray we are all well tonight, as a stomach virus has hit Kim, Addi, and Levi. I know if they can’t get well, the year will not end on a happy note. I think they are better, according to the last blog report.
Well, until tonight…..Merry Christmas to all, and to all a great day!

Susan's Ramblings

Well, I am sitting at work thinking about all of the things I could be doing if I were not here. This is one of those “lost” teaching days. There are children here, more than usual I think, but everyone is showing movies and just praying for 2:50. I have taken down all of the Christmas decorations and have up the “Winter” stuff and the January calendar in the media center. It seems kind of funny to take down the Christmas tree before Christmas.
Yesterday was David’s birthday. Poor fellow, he has certainly been having some rough weeks. We went to Cracker Barrel and then to get Katie’s birthday present. Happy Birthday, Katie! We love you.
David was supposed to get up at 4 this morning to take his mother to UAB for a treatment. The clock did not go off. He woke up at 5:30 and went to running like he was in a race. He managed to get her there, albeit late. They did not seem to think he was late. He called and told me that MaMa was in pretty bad shape, almost non-responsive. They are talking about hospitalizing her. Please pray that she will pull out of this depression.
In other notes, for several days my Arky dog was not to be seen. Yesterday he was on the other side of the exit- something he NEVER does. He was still on that side this morning, so I don’t know what is up with him. If he is not careful, he is going to meet the great dog-maker in the sky.
I read an interesting article in the Birmingham News the other day. It was about “Baby Baubles”. It seems there is this new mentality among new mothers that their significant other should provide them with some type of diamond, or expensive jewelry for having their body go through 9 months of “agony” and for the distress of delivery. Many new mothers, according to this article, are presented this “gift” in the delivery room immediately following delivery. Have you ever? What a “it’s all about me” mentality. The only gift I wanted was a healthy baby, and thankfully I was blessed with 3. I did get roses after Kim was born, but when the boys came along we decided that the flower money could best be used to buy formula!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am so excited about the holidays. The kids are so much fun. I am excited about being with my own kids, as well. I can’t wait to see the grands riding their new gifts. I also look forward to Christmas eve and Christmas day more than I can tell.
Tomorrow is our 31st anniversary. It seems like just a few days ago- my how time passes.
Happy Holidays to my one or two faithful readers!

Update

I want to give a brief update to my limited readership, concerning our sick folks. As of last night, PaPa was much improved. The bleeding must have been coming from his esophagus, but there was no major problem when they scoped it. They put him on some medication that will coat the esophagus. He has also had blood and potassium. So, for the moment at least, things are better in his corner. Two days ago we never believed he would make it back to the nursing home, but it appears he will. He even spoke in some sentences last night, something he hasn’t done in a long time.
As for MaMa, while she is up walking (imagine that), she seems to be having a bout with depression. I suspected that the whole time, but as I blogged earlier, we could not get the medical doctor and the psychiatrist in the same picture, so in light of all of her physical problems of the past few weeks, the psychiatrist suggested we go the medical route. Now listen to this- one morning prior to her going to the hospital, she told David that there was a baby in the bed with her. When David told the psychiatrist, he said that sounded like a “physical” problem that would cause her to be delusional. I wondered about that….but I am not a medical person, but it sounded like a mind problem to me. Now, all of a sudden, she is walking again, but she is very confused. I don’t doubt she has leg issues, but I kept saying the way she was shuffling looked like a classic case of someone that was depressed. David is trying to arrange her a treatment, which is not as easy as it sounds. Her doctor has changed from Princeton to UAB in the past week, and UAB has required a whole list of test for people taking these treatments. We think she has had everything done during her hospital stay, but they have not sent them to UAB as requested. I hope that by Monday the paperwork will be in place and he can get her there for a treatment. I am certain that these tests are simply to cover liability because shock treatments are still very controversial and not done in many facilities. As horrid as it sounds, they are the only thing that has kept MaMa as functional as she has been.
So, please continue to pray for the Couringtons. God never created two better people, and to see them have to go through so much is hard.

The Trials of Life

Well, it is 4:30 a.m. on Friday morning and I am at the computer. I have had a night of coughing and reflux. I don’t know what triggered the reflux, but that added to the coughing has brought me out of the bed. I can almost count on one hand the number of nights that I have not been able to sleep for varying reasons. I guess I can add the stress of the past few days to the causes. All that aside- today will be no go to work day for me, although I feel much better since I am upright and the drainage problem has slowed. That may be the culprit for the reflux, or it could be the fried flounder from Nikkis (which was too good to be bad!). I am going to have to go by school and fax in a book order that is due today, but that is okay. I was in a meeting all day yesterday, and when I got back to school at 3, I was bombarded. I had left my clerk and Dr. Martin (my intern student) to man the ship, and they both looked like they were about to come apart when I got back. We had several teachers out yesterday so some of the kids ended up being “housed” in the library. I think it was a real experience for Dr. Martin as she has been out of the classroom for decades. And then we all know how kids act when they are under the direction of a sub, or someone they do not know! If I had known how things were going to go, I would have stayed at school. Fortunately, the principal has never before had to resort to using the library as a classroom, and she was in and out all she could be. My clerk and Dr. Martin did not even get lunch, which does happen to me from time to time.
We went to see PaPa at the 5 o’clock visit last night. He is so pitiful. As I looked at him, I realized that what is waiting for him on the other side is so much better than the here and now. It is hard to see someone as good as he is have to go through the physical trials of this life. He does not seem to be in pain, and he is not unconscious, but he is just pitiful. He opened his eyes when we came in, but then drifted back into sleep. Billy and Mary went at the 8 o’clock visit and they said he was more awake. He is scheduled to have an upper GI test (the light) today. They are going to try to determine where the bleeding is coming from. He has also had a mild heart attack, and his kidney function is not good. Unless something changes, it appears that he is on that slippery slope that many elderly people find themselves on. Pray for his comfort, because at this point that is what is important to us. Also, MaMa spent her first night at Cherry Hill last night. She was discharged from Jasper yesterday, and they let David carry her to Cherry Hill in the car. Somewhat ironic that PaPa was there the night before, and now she is there and he is in the hospital. We do not know if the placement will be permanent, but if her mobility does not improve, she cannot be left alone. She seems to be fairly clear mentally at times, but then again she has her moments. The hospital at Jasper diagnosed her with dementia. I am not certain- after all the years of emotional problems, and the treatments necessary to deal with the problems, it would be hard to say. Some things that she has done in the past few months have been out of character- such as washing dishes without any soap- but who can say. If it is dementia, I think it is an early case. While David has had to recite her medical history numerous times in the past few weeks, we wonder if anyone is really listening. There is a disconnect between the medical doctors and the psychiatrist, so we don’t know if anyone really understands. We have stated so many times in the past few months that we miss Dr. Retan beyond belief (Dr. Retan has retired- he was one of a kind). TOday is MaMa and PaPa's 61st wedding anniversary, if I counted correctly.
On another note, Aunt Marie is in the nursing home for rehab. She had to have her big toe amputated, due to infection. She has had a lot of pain, but seems to be recovering well according to Mike. She is going to have therapy. She is still sharp as a tack, and if anyone can recover, she will.
This has been a long post-
I will close with a funny. Wednesday night after church Addi told Kim that she wanted to call Leslie (her new best friend). Kim told her no, that she could not call Leslie every night. Addi threw herself on the pew, and with her most dramatic voice said- “What are you trying to do? Break us up!” We all got a good laugh over that.

Happy Birthday, Addi!

Well, 5 years ago today, our world changed forever. The birth of Addison Rae Kelsey made me a grandparent. I would never have dreamed that being a grandparent was as great as it is! Addi’s day of birth was marked with tears and joy. I think if we had known then how serious the events of the day were, we would probably have all had to been admitted to the hospital. Thankfully we have a wonderful God, and good doctors who saw us through some difficult hours and days. I can hardly believe that was 5 years ago- time does indeed fly. Our next big adventure for Addi will be starting school. It seems as if though I have blinked my eyes and the little girl with pigtails and a Rainbow Brite lunchbox has been replaced by someone very much like her! I have been so fortunate. I have a wonderful family, and the 4 grandkids are icing on my cake. Happy birthday, Addi. You will truly never know how special you are to me. I love you!!!