It was Sunday (January 20) and we were standing in Grandma’s hospital room. They were releasing her the next day but there was still a question of where she would go. She couldn’t go home yet. She needed to rehabilitate her leg. My mother mentioned Courts of Holt on Willoughby Road. I had been there while in high school and also when Joey’s grandmother stayed there a short time. No way. No how. My grandmother wasn’t going there. The people there were falling apart. They were crazy. They were sick and yelling. The place was depressing. It smelled. I delicately expressed my concerns.
The next day was MLK Jr. Day. For the first time in Valassis history, we had this day off (more like, by the grace of God, I had the day off). My mother called me that morning and explained that Courts of Holt had an open bed and grandma was being released at 1:00 p.m. I told my mom I would go check the place out. Praying continually, I pulled into the parking lot. I bowed my head with one final prayer: please, Lord, show me this place is going to be okay to keep her in. I took a deep breath and entered.
It wasn’t gloomy at all. A giant bird cage thing stood in the lobby with colorful little birds. People watched the birds in their wheelchairs (or they just slept in their wheelchairs). I found the manager and she immediately knew why I was there. “Let me show you where your grandmother will be staying.” She took me down the hall and then at the nurse’s station we turned down another hall. I voiced my concerns. I didn’t want my grandmother to stay here. The woman responded, “she can’t. They is temporary. This is until she gets her leg healed. This is for rehabilitation. Would you like to see the rehabilitation room?” I nodded. What could it hurt?
Well, remember that prayer I prayed asking God to show me everything would be okay? I walked into the rehab room and as the manager talked, one of the physical therapists turned around. “Marge!” I shouted with joy. “Holly!” she shouted back. She walked over to me and hugged me. I lost it and started crying. It was like hearing God say, “I told you I would take care of you. I told you to have faith and you did. Don’t forget I love you.” See, Marge is the woman I met in 2006 while running the Autumn Classic. She had painted the back of her shirt to read, “I can do all things through Him that strengthens me.” I have prayed with Marge before and have been seeing her at more and more races. I told her what had happened with grandma and she assured me all would be well.
“I prayed for God to show me this facility would be okay. You’re the answer He gave me,” I said.
“He is faithful and this place will be great for grandma,” Marge said.
With chills inside of me but a warm heart, I left for the hospital to prepare grandma for her trip.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
Something I just read in a magazine....
"you can get married and if divorce is really necessary then you can do it. religion shouldn't be involved with this. it is your choice to get married and divorced, not god's decision."
Whoa.
Whoa.
Treats
I’m a smart girl. I really am. Joey, for the most part, has to agree on this point. I’m smart because I finally understand Hemi and he understands me. After an almost two year long struggle with peeing and pooing outside of the litter box, Hemi and I have an understanding. We went through hell to get there, too. Joey and I tried so many things. The first was to get the kitty pheromone to relive Hemi’s anxiety (yeah, I still don’t know why he has so much anxiety—he’s a cat). That was working but expensive…and to fill the whole house with it…wasn’t going to work. We purchased all sorts of sprays, changed the litter, put up tin foil to dissuade him from going in the same spots and we finally put him on Prozac. But then the Prozac ran out after two refills and the vet wouldn’t give us anymore. We were back to square one and as much as Joey kept that litter box pristine, Hemi objected to it if there was a trace of anything in it. Stuck up and anxious.
One afternoon over Christmas break, Joey was at wresting practice and I was sitting at the computer. Hemi looked at me and then pooed on the carpet, right in front of me. It was all I could do not to throw him across the room. Seriously. I felt a trust had been broken because I never actually saw him doing any of this. The war was on, but the way Hemi looked at me…it seemed like he knew he had a problem but just couldn’t stop himself. I swear I heard his little voice start singing...
“I’m Sorry by Buck Cherry”
One afternoon over Christmas break, Joey was at wresting practice and I was sitting at the computer. Hemi looked at me and then pooed on the carpet, right in front of me. It was all I could do not to throw him across the room. Seriously. I felt a trust had been broken because I never actually saw him doing any of this. The war was on, but the way Hemi looked at me…it seemed like he knew he had a problem but just couldn’t stop himself. I swear I heard his little voice start singing...
“I’m Sorry by Buck Cherry”
Oh I had alot to say
Was thinking on my time away
I miss you and things weren't the same
'Cause everything inside it never comes out right
And when I see you cry it makes me wanna die.
I'm sorry i'm bad, i'm sorry i'm blue
I'm sorry about all the things I said to you
And I know I can't take it back
I love how you kiss, I love all your sounds
And baby the way you make my world go 'round
And I just wanted to say i'm sorry.
This time I think i'm to blame
It's harder to get through the days
We get older and blame turns to shame
'Cause everything inside it never comes out right
And when I see you cry it makes me wanna die."
I read some more online and talked to God more about the situation. Sometime in January, it clicked. Treats. We don’t give the cats treats but the vet had suggested we give Cain and Titan a treat when they came in from the backyard. Why? Because at the end of last year, Cain refused to come in. And sometimes he wouldn’t just NOT come in but he would take off running the other direction and Joey would have to chase him down. So, we started to reward the dogs for coming inside when we told them, too. I thought, “maybe this can work with a cat.”
One problem with this was I never saw Hemi going in the litter box…like ever. So, I gave him a few treats in the bathroom where his litter box is located. He knew this was now the treat room. Next, any time I saw him sniffing around the litter box, assessing whether it met his standards or not, I would give him a treat. And then, I was sitting at the computer and I heard scratching…finally! He hopped out of the box and I gave him a treat along with lots of praise. Later that day, I walked into the bathroom, Hemi followed me, hopped into the litter box hopped out, looked at me and meowed. Treat. He got back in the litter box and got back out, looked at me and meowed. Treat. I called Joey and explained what was going on. Now, we could only give him a treat if he actually went #1 or #2.
I read some more online and talked to God more about the situation. Sometime in January, it clicked. Treats. We don’t give the cats treats but the vet had suggested we give Cain and Titan a treat when they came in from the backyard. Why? Because at the end of last year, Cain refused to come in. And sometimes he wouldn’t just NOT come in but he would take off running the other direction and Joey would have to chase him down. So, we started to reward the dogs for coming inside when we told them, too. I thought, “maybe this can work with a cat.”
One problem with this was I never saw Hemi going in the litter box…like ever. So, I gave him a few treats in the bathroom where his litter box is located. He knew this was now the treat room. Next, any time I saw him sniffing around the litter box, assessing whether it met his standards or not, I would give him a treat. And then, I was sitting at the computer and I heard scratching…finally! He hopped out of the box and I gave him a treat along with lots of praise. Later that day, I walked into the bathroom, Hemi followed me, hopped into the litter box hopped out, looked at me and meowed. Treat. He got back in the litter box and got back out, looked at me and meowed. Treat. I called Joey and explained what was going on. Now, we could only give him a treat if he actually went #1 or #2.
After two months of this, Hemi has caught on and he’s finally doing this with Joey, too. The first time was disastrous because Joey has not kept his cool in the past. So, when he walked in on Hemi using the Tinkle Bank, he waited until Hemi got out and then Joey started to praise him. Hemi freaked and took off while Joey chased him with a treat. But now, everyone is on the same page….with peeing. We are still working on the pooing issue.
I reminded Joey what the procedure is when catching Hemi in the act (outside of the box). Firmly say no, pick him up and put him in the litter box. Do not yell, do not scream, do not chase him, do not light hair on fire with anger. Last week, Joey walked in on Hemi using the bedroom carpet as his litter box. He handled the situation well. Hemi really is understanding. It’s kind of funny though because he wants that treat so bad, he’ll wait until one of us gets there and runs to the litter box. Now the first thing we do when entering is follow him to the litter box right away.
Joey is shaking his head. He just can't believe I had trained Hemi to go in his litter box. Chessie is shaking her head, too. She can't believe Hemi has trained me to give him a treat just for going in the damn thing.
Next up: Try to figure out how to put the fat cat on a diet without harming the skinny cat.
I reminded Joey what the procedure is when catching Hemi in the act (outside of the box). Firmly say no, pick him up and put him in the litter box. Do not yell, do not scream, do not chase him, do not light hair on fire with anger. Last week, Joey walked in on Hemi using the bedroom carpet as his litter box. He handled the situation well. Hemi really is understanding. It’s kind of funny though because he wants that treat so bad, he’ll wait until one of us gets there and runs to the litter box. Now the first thing we do when entering is follow him to the litter box right away.
Joey is shaking his head. He just can't believe I had trained Hemi to go in his litter box. Chessie is shaking her head, too. She can't believe Hemi has trained me to give him a treat just for going in the damn thing.
Next up: Try to figure out how to put the fat cat on a diet without harming the skinny cat.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Grandma
I haven’t written about this and I’m not sure why. Maybe because I’ve needed time to process it all. Maybe because I’ve been too busy going through it. Maybe I’ve been too lazy.
On January 15 around 5:30ish in the morning, a woman delivered the newspaper and found my 80-year-old grandmother lying unconscious just inside the door. The day before, my grandma had received a local anesthetic to get some teeth pulled. She insisted she was fine so my sister left her in her own home.
Something went wrong. We still don’t know what happened. I received the call as I got ready for work. They said grandma was unconscious but in the Sparrow’s ER. My mom and sister told me to wait so I went to work. I stayed a few hours and then left for Lansing. Grandma was put into a room by the time Joey and I got there. My cousin Jennie was with her. Grandma seemed weak but she knew who we were. After a few hours, we left. I went to work the next day and around 1:00, my sister called me again.
“Grandma isn’t doing so well.”
I left work again and raced to the hospital. In the parking ramp, I prayed. I prayed for my grandmother. I prayed I would get along with my uncle. I prayed for strength. I got to the fourth floor and as I walked down the hall, my two uncles were walking toward me. I flashed back to when my grandfather was in a coma. These two uncles had told me he wasn’t going to wake up. My heart was pounding.
Uncle Brian: Grandma isn’t looking good.
Uncle Chuck: She took a turn for the worse.
When I saw my grandmother, they were wheeling her out of the room for tests. I almost cried. She looked horrible, like she was a second away from dying. Pale, weak…she reminded me of when grandpa died.
The family went down to the cafeteria to talk. We just weren’t sure what was going to happen. In my heart, I prayed again.
Uncle Brian and I were standing in the hall outside of grandma’s room waiting for her to return. We were making jokes, laughing at each other and really getting along. Grandma returned and seemed a lot better. She began talking to us…but we then noticed her brain was somewhere else. She was seeing people who were dead. She thought she saw a picture of her brother and my mother on the wall. We all knew she was hallucinating, showing signs of dementia and maybe having a mini stroke. Before I left, I told my uncle I had prayed for he and I and for grandma.
“You must be her angel then because she has turned around since this afternoon.”
I left the hospital and went to the Mason vs. Holt wrestling meet. It was the only match I had wanted to see all year. Joey’s former school wrestling his current school. Before I left Joey’s house for the meet, my sister called. “I don’t know if grandma is going to make it through the night. I’ll call you with updates.” I went to the meet anyway and was ready to leave if I needed to. The match was intense and Mason took an early lead. Steve Sommerlot attended and it was cool to see him get so involved in the matches.
After Holt won, Joey and I went back up to the hospital. Grandma was going to pull through. My cousin Jennie slept in a chair next to her that entire night. If she wouldn’t have, I would have. I learned when the last grandma died that I didn’t want this grandma to be alone.
Thursday around noon, I went up to the hospital. My great uncle was there. He is my grandma’s youngest brother. She was 16 or 17 when he was born. He often jokes that she is his real mother and it is the biggest family secret. She laughs at him. It was good to see the two of them interact. Gary really picked her spirits up. Her mind was clearer and we finally knew what was wrong with her: urinary tract infection and a fractured fibula.
She was going to be released to the hospital but where would she go? We needed a place for her until she could go back home. The only place available was a place on Willoughby. I had been to that place in the past but there was no way I was letting her go there.
More to follow....
On January 15 around 5:30ish in the morning, a woman delivered the newspaper and found my 80-year-old grandmother lying unconscious just inside the door. The day before, my grandma had received a local anesthetic to get some teeth pulled. She insisted she was fine so my sister left her in her own home.
Something went wrong. We still don’t know what happened. I received the call as I got ready for work. They said grandma was unconscious but in the Sparrow’s ER. My mom and sister told me to wait so I went to work. I stayed a few hours and then left for Lansing. Grandma was put into a room by the time Joey and I got there. My cousin Jennie was with her. Grandma seemed weak but she knew who we were. After a few hours, we left. I went to work the next day and around 1:00, my sister called me again.
“Grandma isn’t doing so well.”
I left work again and raced to the hospital. In the parking ramp, I prayed. I prayed for my grandmother. I prayed I would get along with my uncle. I prayed for strength. I got to the fourth floor and as I walked down the hall, my two uncles were walking toward me. I flashed back to when my grandfather was in a coma. These two uncles had told me he wasn’t going to wake up. My heart was pounding.
Uncle Brian: Grandma isn’t looking good.
Uncle Chuck: She took a turn for the worse.
When I saw my grandmother, they were wheeling her out of the room for tests. I almost cried. She looked horrible, like she was a second away from dying. Pale, weak…she reminded me of when grandpa died.
The family went down to the cafeteria to talk. We just weren’t sure what was going to happen. In my heart, I prayed again.
Uncle Brian and I were standing in the hall outside of grandma’s room waiting for her to return. We were making jokes, laughing at each other and really getting along. Grandma returned and seemed a lot better. She began talking to us…but we then noticed her brain was somewhere else. She was seeing people who were dead. She thought she saw a picture of her brother and my mother on the wall. We all knew she was hallucinating, showing signs of dementia and maybe having a mini stroke. Before I left, I told my uncle I had prayed for he and I and for grandma.
“You must be her angel then because she has turned around since this afternoon.”
I left the hospital and went to the Mason vs. Holt wrestling meet. It was the only match I had wanted to see all year. Joey’s former school wrestling his current school. Before I left Joey’s house for the meet, my sister called. “I don’t know if grandma is going to make it through the night. I’ll call you with updates.” I went to the meet anyway and was ready to leave if I needed to. The match was intense and Mason took an early lead. Steve Sommerlot attended and it was cool to see him get so involved in the matches.
After Holt won, Joey and I went back up to the hospital. Grandma was going to pull through. My cousin Jennie slept in a chair next to her that entire night. If she wouldn’t have, I would have. I learned when the last grandma died that I didn’t want this grandma to be alone.
Thursday around noon, I went up to the hospital. My great uncle was there. He is my grandma’s youngest brother. She was 16 or 17 when he was born. He often jokes that she is his real mother and it is the biggest family secret. She laughs at him. It was good to see the two of them interact. Gary really picked her spirits up. Her mind was clearer and we finally knew what was wrong with her: urinary tract infection and a fractured fibula.
She was going to be released to the hospital but where would she go? We needed a place for her until she could go back home. The only place available was a place on Willoughby. I had been to that place in the past but there was no way I was letting her go there.
More to follow....
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Comfort Foods
I actually wrote this on 8-3-06 but...did I not publish it?
I was watching a show called "The Secret Life of Comfort Foods" on the Food Network. One of the most comforting foods, according to them, is meatloaf. We never ate meatloaf growing up. I'm not totally opposed to it but it's not something i make. This episode made me think about my comfort foods. Here they are in no particular order:
Hot Vanilla Decaf Chai
Mashed Potatoes
S'mores
Chilli
Double Decker Tacos
Honey--I put honey on almost everything...cereal, yogurt, tea..love the stuff
Joey's Spaghetti
Emil's Spaghetti
Russ' Homemade Chocolate Cake
Homemade Mac & Cheese
Baja Shrimp Tacos
Baja salsa
homemade salsa
sushi
peach cobbler
steel cut oatmeal with brown sugar
Blueberries
Meatballs
Chocolate covered strawberries
I was watching a show called "The Secret Life of Comfort Foods" on the Food Network. One of the most comforting foods, according to them, is meatloaf. We never ate meatloaf growing up. I'm not totally opposed to it but it's not something i make. This episode made me think about my comfort foods. Here they are in no particular order:
Hot Vanilla Decaf Chai
Mashed Potatoes
S'mores
Chilli
Double Decker Tacos
Honey--I put honey on almost everything...cereal, yogurt, tea..love the stuff
Joey's Spaghetti
Emil's Spaghetti
Russ' Homemade Chocolate Cake
Homemade Mac & Cheese
Baja Shrimp Tacos
Baja salsa
homemade salsa
sushi
peach cobbler
steel cut oatmeal with brown sugar
Blueberries
Meatballs
Chocolate covered strawberries
Monday, March 03, 2008
Twenty Years Ago
March 3, 1988
I was 12-years-old. I lived on 5 Point Hwy in Charlotte, MI with my mom, her boyfriend and his kids, Chad and Fawn. My favorite tape was Dirty Dancing. I spent hours listening to that and the Faith album by George Michael. I had just received them for my birthday the week before. I had a boyfriend: Brad Hendrickson. He was in 7th grade. I was in 6th grade. We rode the bus together. My best friends were T.J. and Jenny. We all attended Olivet Middle School. I had grown up with T.J. and it was through her mother, I met Kim.
Kim was the daughter of T.J.'s mom's boyfriend, Howard. They had combined their families and I spent quite a bit of time with them. We went hot air ballooning, roller skating, dancing and watching movies.
But anyone who has been with this blog for long knows who Kim is...or was...or still is. She died at the age of 14 on this day twenty years ago. I made a promise then that I would not forget this day or her for as long as I live. Her life and her death made a huge impression on me.
God wanted me to remember her, too. This morning, He played a song in her memory. Kim loved the song "Lean On Me" and I turned it to the radio station just as it started. How cool.
So, her memory lives on through her family and friends. And although this was a terrible, terrible day so long ago, on this March 3, 2008, God gave my friends a little girl of their own.
He gives and takes away and gives again. Blessed be Your name, Lord.
I was 12-years-old. I lived on 5 Point Hwy in Charlotte, MI with my mom, her boyfriend and his kids, Chad and Fawn. My favorite tape was Dirty Dancing. I spent hours listening to that and the Faith album by George Michael. I had just received them for my birthday the week before. I had a boyfriend: Brad Hendrickson. He was in 7th grade. I was in 6th grade. We rode the bus together. My best friends were T.J. and Jenny. We all attended Olivet Middle School. I had grown up with T.J. and it was through her mother, I met Kim.
Kim was the daughter of T.J.'s mom's boyfriend, Howard. They had combined their families and I spent quite a bit of time with them. We went hot air ballooning, roller skating, dancing and watching movies.
But anyone who has been with this blog for long knows who Kim is...or was...or still is. She died at the age of 14 on this day twenty years ago. I made a promise then that I would not forget this day or her for as long as I live. Her life and her death made a huge impression on me.
God wanted me to remember her, too. This morning, He played a song in her memory. Kim loved the song "Lean On Me" and I turned it to the radio station just as it started. How cool.
So, her memory lives on through her family and friends. And although this was a terrible, terrible day so long ago, on this March 3, 2008, God gave my friends a little girl of their own.
He gives and takes away and gives again. Blessed be Your name, Lord.
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