Finalization

About ten days ago, Aunt Thelma fell and hit her head with such a force that caused a blood clot to form on her brain. Because it was so severe, there was no hope for her to live through the damage. As we sat by her bedside for the following six days, so many thoughts went through my mind. Aunt Thelma couldn't know how close she was to dying because she never regained conscientiousness. But she was prepared. Years ago, she told Ray of how she talked to Jesus and waited for Him to take her to heaven. It was a sweet time for me to know that she was slipping closer and closer to heaven and would be at peace with her Savior. Her body would work with no pain and her mind would be perfectly clear. The girls got to visit and sing her favorite hymns one last time while she was in the hospital. I have a lot of respect for Ray's mother and father who cared for her so diligently and were with her until her dying breath. As our family went through this process I hope we were all sobered to think of our last moments on this earth and know that we will be prepared to meet Jesus when we die.
The funeral was a finalization of sorts for me. The process of grief over losing the baby and the feelings of guilt for not being able to take care of Aunt Thelma after the miscarriage were very strong. Our home has returned to its usual chaos. It is a blessing to be back to our "routine" of homeschooling, church, and ministry responsibilities. I know God had a purpose for the times that Aunt Thelma was with us and for the loss of this baby. He is faithful and whatever He does is good. Though these were deep valleys for me to cross, I will look at this past year a spiritual mountaintop experience.

Aunt Thelma

Aunt Thelma is reaching her last days. Please pray for her and the rest of the family as she nears the moment when she sees her Savior face to face.

As I seek to honor and care for the widow that God has placed in my life, I can't pretend it is easy. Some days it very hard. Around our house we have to laugh at some of the mixed up comments or we'd be crying all the time. This isn't to make fun of or ridicule Aunt Thelma, but to ease the burden on our hearts. I often refer to her as our resident two year old. She is often like a child that must have someone's eyes on her at all times, but she has truly been a learning experience for us.
It is evident the things of God have been important to her because that's what she reverts to so often. Her greatest joy is to sing hymns and read the Bible. She always says that she is too sick to go to church but when we tell her she's going, she is the first one ready standing at the door and calling out the time. We don't understand why she recalls her early childhood so much better than her adult life, but it is a good reminder for us as parents to continue training our children in the ways of God so that when they are truly old they will remember.

Just One Conversation Out of Many of the Same

Aunt Thelma was walking through the den after she had gotten dressed for bed when I told her, "Aunt Thelma you're missing a bedroom slipper." She looked down at her feet and said, "I sho' am," and continued walking into the kitchen. After a little while of her wandering around the dining room and walking like she had on one shoe and lifting her other leg very high, I asked her, "Are you going to put on your slipper?" Her response, "I will if I ever find it!"

Can You Play Any Real Songs?

While Ray's aunt has been living with us we are all learning a lot. Her mind is no longer right and she makes some very strange remarks. Most of the time she is sweet and it is obvious she has no idea what her comments mean. One question she often asks to the girls is, "Can you play any real songs?" This question always comes when one of them are practicing the piano (among the five girls, there is a lot of practicing going on) and they are playing a song she doesn't know. What she wants is for them to play old hymns that she has memorized. Sometimes they will play hymns for her and she'll sit on the bench with them and sing as loud as they do. These days are precious and I have to recall them when she is making other comments that try my patience. We know very little about Alzheimer's but we're all learning quickly. Just last night Lydia asked, "Mommy, why do you keep introducing yourself to Aunt Thelma?"