Lisa Lisa

I go to get Lisa out of bed this morning...she is sitting up and waiting for me. She has such a great attitude these days. This is her last week for home health care. She is doing so well and improving so much that after her assessment, the nurses and PT/OT's decided that she is well enough to start therapy at the office. Lisa will be able to get out of the house and has free reign of where and when she goes somewhere. With in home health care, she was not supposed to go anywhere.

Lisa will start going to therapy twice a week. They wanted to make it back to back appointments, but Karen was hesitant and told them it would be best if Lisa had appts on different days because she gets so tired. She gets wiped out so easily, but that is improving as well.

Lisa is much more independent these days. She depended on us for everything, just a few weeks ago. Today, not so much. She gets her fork and gets her lunch from the frig...she transfers to chairs, her bed, the toilet and her shower chair much better. I am not going to say it is easy for her, because it's not. She struggles with it, she grabs the handle, sighs...psyches herself up for the challenge and does it without complaining. It is who she is. She has always been determined, but until you see her and have seen where she was a few short months ago, you can't appreciate it. She is not able to see very well, and lets you know it...but she deals with it.

Last week, Karen told her that she and I were not going to be coming at night as much to help her to bed because she was going to get help from the staff at UCP. Lisa told Karen that she wanted to wait until her eye popped open...Karen told her that it probably won't and that she will need to live with it like that...she was more compassionate than that...Lisa started to cry. Karen sat with her and reminded her about mom, asking her if she remembered how mom was and how she couldn't see very well. Lisa remembers. Karen told her that mom had to learn to live the way she was...and so does she. It is sad, but it is true. We hate that she has to be the way she is...it doesn't seem fair. It is what is what it is and now we must move forward. There are so many people who are worse off than her, than us. We must remember that.
Please pray for Lisa to accept her situation and to improve everyday.

Christmas is almost here...I am thankful for her. I am thankful for this experience this year...I didn't realize just how much she needed her family. There are things that never would have been revealed had we not gone through this. She is one strong woman. We are much stronger now too. Christmas has always been special, and sad too, without mom. Lisa is the first to tell you that. She misses her. We all do. But I think that mom knows what we are going through and I think she smiles down on her girls.

I don't even have a tree up, it is not as important as it has been in the past...plus, we have a cat that does not stay out of the Charlie Brown tree we have...No cards either. I hope that people understand that the most important present in this world is the presence of loved ones and the presence of Christ. It is the reason for the season. He alone is the one who gets each and everyone of us through this life.

Merry Christmas to each and everyone of you.