Apple Juice

She lifted the glass of apple juice with her shaky, skeleton-like fingers, barely able to hold the glass and said "thank you, Lord, for this apple juice".   I choked back the tears.  My heart whispered in agreement.  It's the small things these days that my mother needs on this wilderness path of aging.

She doesn't have much of an appetite lately, but my hopes were raised for a short moment when she suggested a menu that she might enjoy. We were going to have steak on the grill, baked mac and cheese (like she would have made it) and fresh corn on the cob.  But in the end, even with my offer to make a home-cooked meal, she was too tired to stay at my house and eat.  So I took her back and tucked her into bed.

Today when I visited her over the lunch hour, she mentioned that once again she was not hungry.  I suddenly remembered that she loves apple juice.  In her old room they had learned that about her and would give her apple juice at every meal.  She doesn't remember to ask anymore and I forgot this small detail in the process of all the changes that nursing care brings.  I'm trying to find things that appeal to her and it's not easy.  I was glad to remember this and bring it to their attention.

I told the nurse that she would like to have it at every meal. I didn't expect that they'd get the message in time for lunch but when her tray arrived with apple juice on it, I was so grateful.

Apparently she was too and for one moment, all was peaceful as she sipped her apple juice.

My mother's elephants

Last week was a whirlwind.  'Been living on the edge of crutches and insanity instead of ice skate blades.  

My mother had to move to the nursing section of the retirement home where she lives.  I have achilles tendonitis and have to be on crutches another 2 weeks so I tried to move her while hobbling around.  

While helping her downsize yet again, I had to make a lot of decisions about what to keep and what to let go of.  

I came upon these 2 elephants and I couldn't resist writing a blog about them.

Last year at this time I was blogging about "The Elephant Diet" and conquering demons and aspiring to our dreams by eating the 'big' elephants in our lives ONE bite at a time.  

I smiled as I picked them up and ran my hands over their smooth surfaces.

I have a Christmas CD, I am planning the big show I had dreamt of last year, I am learning to figure skate (though I'm on break right now) and all this one bite at a time.  I'm helping my mother move, and doing it one step at a time (or one crutch hop at a time).  That's how we accomplish great things.

"If you had started doing anything two weeks ago, by today you would have been two weeks better at it.” ― John Mayer (guitarist and songwriter). Don't wait until you have everything as you want it to start on your dreams.  Just start.

The elephants in the picture belong to my mother.  She's had them since I was a little girl. She has overcome so many elephants in her life that it's hard to even list them all - death of her first husband and two sons and dealing with many illnesses that still affect her to this day.  I found some letters she started to her children on big yellow legal pads (though she never finished them or distributed them) and I saw reflections of a life of determination, heartbreak and desire to live completely surrendered to God's touch in her life, even when it meant suffering.

I looked at the two elephants and realized that all these hurdles in her life have led to this point in time. She's still here and still trying to conquer temptation to be discouraged. She still has more obstacles to overcome - bless her heart.  Life just doesn't quit throwing things at her that are hard.  But she keeps pressing on.

I think I'll keep these elephants. I can't remember where they came from exactly, but I sure am learning more about perseverance and faith from my mother - the one who made a home for them originally, way before I ever started a blog or knew what an elephant was.

A Christmas show is on the way! Buy tickets here. (another elephant gone).