I am grateful for my family today. My husband shows up practically every day with prepared food, snacks, or items I need or want. Some days he shows up empty-handed, but I guarantee it is not a disappointment. His visits mean so much to me. Just sitting and talking with my mate, lowers my anxiety, makes me laugh, and makes my life with ALS bearable. He reads books to me. I listen to audiobooks every day but that is a solitary activity and I love the sound of my husband's voice and he chooses different books than I would choose. He doesn't just show up. He's also engaged and invested. Together, we draw a crowd. Other residents join us or sit on our periphery. It's fun. Hell, we're fun! At the end of our time together, we go to my room where he flosses and brushes my teeth, cleans my ears, plucks stray hairs, massages pain-relieving lotion into my contracting hands and/or straightens up my room.
My sisters visit separately and their visits have different flavors.My youngest sister and I share a passion for books and knitting, thus our visits center on one of those subjects. Usually books and we adore paranormal mystery and romance. I prefer young adult versions as I've grown weary of the explicit sex scenes some popular authors embrace. I also appreciate seeing progress on her latest WIP (work in process). My other sister and I have a lot of shared history, we have the same father and in recent years, we have been able to connect on being married and on a shared love of motorcycle riding. Our husbands are buddies and like to get together. That's always good for laughs. We tease them about their "bromance"! Lately I've been picking her brain about our ancestry and have discovered that we are Pennsylvania Dutch and came to America in the 1700's. Booyah! We beat my husband's people by nearly 200 years. We are also French, German, Irish, and Native American, specifically, Cherokee. Oh yeah, we also share sobriety!
And my brother, the baby of the family, lives in tornado country in a tiny berg in Kansas. He's good about calling but not so good about speaking. Bless his heart but he does tell me he loves me. I guess that covers it though. Doesn't it?
My mother doesn't visit much but when she does she is accompanied by either my stepdad or sister who help her track the conversation. My stepdad visits with my mom and I can count on holiday visits or meeting up for meals out particularly when their granddaughter comes up from California.
My father and stepmother live in a small town in Ohio. They don't travel much these days as my father has emphysema. My Uncle Herman, in his late eighties, also has emphysema has adopted me since my ALS diagnosis. Aunt Daisy, my father's youngest living sibling is a shut-in. Anyway, my father is great about calling me and keeping up on how things are going with me. So is Herman.
My mother's brother, Uncle Gary, has Parkinson's. It may hit a little too close to home with me having ALS. I don't hear from him nor my aunt. I do see my cousins and their families on FaceBook and GoodReads.
Of course if you follow my blog at all, then you've already heard me gush on about her. She visits every few months and I have a ball during time. She brings me so much positive energy and happiness. She meshes so well with my husband as well as me. Everybody loves Jennifer!
What can I say? I love my family.
My sisters visit separately and their visits have different flavors.My youngest sister and I share a passion for books and knitting, thus our visits center on one of those subjects. Usually books and we adore paranormal mystery and romance. I prefer young adult versions as I've grown weary of the explicit sex scenes some popular authors embrace. I also appreciate seeing progress on her latest WIP (work in process). My other sister and I have a lot of shared history, we have the same father and in recent years, we have been able to connect on being married and on a shared love of motorcycle riding. Our husbands are buddies and like to get together. That's always good for laughs. We tease them about their "bromance"! Lately I've been picking her brain about our ancestry and have discovered that we are Pennsylvania Dutch and came to America in the 1700's. Booyah! We beat my husband's people by nearly 200 years. We are also French, German, Irish, and Native American, specifically, Cherokee. Oh yeah, we also share sobriety!
And my brother, the baby of the family, lives in tornado country in a tiny berg in Kansas. He's good about calling but not so good about speaking. Bless his heart but he does tell me he loves me. I guess that covers it though. Doesn't it?
My mother doesn't visit much but when she does she is accompanied by either my stepdad or sister who help her track the conversation. My stepdad visits with my mom and I can count on holiday visits or meeting up for meals out particularly when their granddaughter comes up from California.
My father and stepmother live in a small town in Ohio. They don't travel much these days as my father has emphysema. My Uncle Herman, in his late eighties, also has emphysema has adopted me since my ALS diagnosis. Aunt Daisy, my father's youngest living sibling is a shut-in. Anyway, my father is great about calling me and keeping up on how things are going with me. So is Herman.
My mother's brother, Uncle Gary, has Parkinson's. It may hit a little too close to home with me having ALS. I don't hear from him nor my aunt. I do see my cousins and their families on FaceBook and GoodReads.
Of course if you follow my blog at all, then you've already heard me gush on about her. She visits every few months and I have a ball during time. She brings me so much positive energy and happiness. She meshes so well with my husband as well as me. Everybody loves Jennifer!
What can I say? I love my family.
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