Living days over again
A dear friend from my church became a young (late 40s, early 50s) widow a few weeks ago. Friends have been rallying around her, to help her get back on her feet. She's a woman of faith, and she firmly believes that her beloved husband is in heaven, so she has a sense of calm about all of that. But the tasks of life continue, and she has to figure out how to do them all herself, when they had a life built for two.
One of the tasks I've been helping with in the short term is visiting her mom in a nursing home. Her mom has Alzheimer's, and lives in a wing of the home that's dedicated to Alzheimer's patients. (This is a nice way of saying that it's on lock-down, and I need to enter a code into a keypad by the door to get in and out.)
I've not spent much time in nursing homes, and this was my first lock-down unit. I've been going for a few weeks now, once a week. Our visits have been, frankly, pretty pleasant. We chat for about half an hour and then say a few Hail Marys together. She smiles a lot, and she seems truly delighted by the company. Until yesterday.
I do think she was delighted to have some company, but she was having a difficult day. She seemed to be reliving the day that her son was killed. I don't know if this truly happened or not, but she seemed to be reliving it in every detail.
I pray that I'm never affected by this disease. But if I am, I hope the days I relive are the happier days.
I would want to relive days with David by my side. At picnics at wineries. Tasting our first honey together. His proposal to me during a bike ride on the KATY trail. Eucharistic adoration and Benediction at the cathedral in Santiago, Spain. Eating my first blood orange in the plaza in Sicily. Taking my first deep breath of clean air after climbing up out of the pyramid in Egypt.
I would want to relive days with friends. Playing music, and more music and then some more. Party amoebas at wars. A girls' weekend at the lake, giving each other silly Indian names. Sliding down the 10-story indoor slide at the City Museum. Gratefully, I can think of hundreds of days I'd want to relive.
I would want to relive days at home. Just a cottage, but filled with love and joy. Flowers blooming. Birds singing. Cats napping in sunbeams. God, please give me grace today.
I am transitioning at work. I have resigned my job and am preparing for my new job to begin on Monday. I've been at my current employer for 15 years, and I've loved my job. Really, really loved it. I've learned so much about publishing, although an awful lot was trial by fire. I do think I'm a better person for having been at GW, and it's hard to leave. Today, I will meet with my boss's boss, the man who originally hired me 15 years ago. He wants my honest opinion about the company. I'm not sure how forthright I want to be about my feelings. Some things are better left unsaid--not an easy skill for me. :)
I've already turned over my four books. Yeah, only four. This is our slow season, which makes it a perfect time to transition out smoothly.
On my way to the office this morning, I'll drop off my paperwork at my new employer, Elsevier. My very first job in publishing was at a large corporation (McGraw-Hill), and now I'm circling back to a large company. It will certainly be different after so long at small companies, but the time feels right to make this move.
One of the tasks I've been helping with in the short term is visiting her mom in a nursing home. Her mom has Alzheimer's, and lives in a wing of the home that's dedicated to Alzheimer's patients. (This is a nice way of saying that it's on lock-down, and I need to enter a code into a keypad by the door to get in and out.)
I've not spent much time in nursing homes, and this was my first lock-down unit. I've been going for a few weeks now, once a week. Our visits have been, frankly, pretty pleasant. We chat for about half an hour and then say a few Hail Marys together. She smiles a lot, and she seems truly delighted by the company. Until yesterday.
I do think she was delighted to have some company, but she was having a difficult day. She seemed to be reliving the day that her son was killed. I don't know if this truly happened or not, but she seemed to be reliving it in every detail.
I pray that I'm never affected by this disease. But if I am, I hope the days I relive are the happier days.
I would want to relive days with David by my side. At picnics at wineries. Tasting our first honey together. His proposal to me during a bike ride on the KATY trail. Eucharistic adoration and Benediction at the cathedral in Santiago, Spain. Eating my first blood orange in the plaza in Sicily. Taking my first deep breath of clean air after climbing up out of the pyramid in Egypt.
I would want to relive days with friends. Playing music, and more music and then some more. Party amoebas at wars. A girls' weekend at the lake, giving each other silly Indian names. Sliding down the 10-story indoor slide at the City Museum. Gratefully, I can think of hundreds of days I'd want to relive.
I would want to relive days at home. Just a cottage, but filled with love and joy. Flowers blooming. Birds singing. Cats napping in sunbeams. God, please give me grace today.
I am transitioning at work. I have resigned my job and am preparing for my new job to begin on Monday. I've been at my current employer for 15 years, and I've loved my job. Really, really loved it. I've learned so much about publishing, although an awful lot was trial by fire. I do think I'm a better person for having been at GW, and it's hard to leave. Today, I will meet with my boss's boss, the man who originally hired me 15 years ago. He wants my honest opinion about the company. I'm not sure how forthright I want to be about my feelings. Some things are better left unsaid--not an easy skill for me. :)
I've already turned over my four books. Yeah, only four. This is our slow season, which makes it a perfect time to transition out smoothly.
On my way to the office this morning, I'll drop off my paperwork at my new employer, Elsevier. My very first job in publishing was at a large corporation (McGraw-Hill), and now I'm circling back to a large company. It will certainly be different after so long at small companies, but the time feels right to make this move.