Catching Up

Whew! What a whirlwind year it's been. When I stop and think about how long it's been since I've written a blog post, I want to tell you that it's because nothing big has happened. But in reality, I just haven't taken time to sit and write a post. Let's see if I can try to summarize the past almost 11 months since my last post. Summer of 2023 was completely different than we've ever experienced or had expected. As my mom's dementia led to a rapid decline in her overall health, we found ourselves pretty well bound to the house. My main "outings" consisted of watering flowers and mowing the lawn. We didn't make a single trip to the beach all summer. We were blessed to have close friends who gave us a couple respite days which allowed us to take a couple short day trips. But going from summers of adventures to a summer of being mostly homebound was quite different. I guess you could say we had lots of company over the summer. Of course, the company we had came in the form of Hospice nurses, health aides and chaplains. At least those "clinical" visits broke up the monotony of the days. We found ourselves looking forward to the nurses visiting as they helped alleviate a bit of the stress of caregiving. Returning to school in August was somewhat of a relief as it allowed me time out of the house all day. I tend to take things personally so when mom's dementia got really bad, I took things she said to heart and it really got to me. Drew is much more patient and was better at realizing it wasn't her saying things but the disease. However, returning to school provided its own challenges. I found myself working during the day then coming home to take over caregiving so Drew could get a bit of a break. It made the days long and the nights short, but we kept plugging away at it. My coworkers were incredibly supportive and my students made each day a little brighter. August rolled into September which rolled into October. October marched on to November which quickly rolled into December. It seemed like we were at Christmas break in no time. Mom's health continued to decline. We hosted the church women at our house for our Christmas gift exchange so mom could participate with us. We welcomed in 2024 quietly at home. Mom started spending more time in bed as the weeks went by. By this point, we were having Hospice nurses visit daily. This helped Drew as they were faithful at getting mom cleaned up and dressed each day. Days were still hard and there were some very dark moments along the way. But we continued to persevere through it all. We had quite a few late-night emergency nurse visits along the way. They were always faithful to respond and not only provided care for mom but moral support for us as well. On March 14, mom met Jesus face-to-face. Her mind and body were completely healed. After all those months of caregiving, it was quite strange to not be checking in on mom or getting her meds, etc. However, a few days before mom passed away, we adopted a very energetic puppy. Her arrival into our home was perfectly timed as she offered love and affection but also a diversion and someone to care for. We have quickly settled into our new normal. It's nice to have Drew go places with me again. It's nice to be able to do family things and not worry about who is going to stay home with mom. It's nice to be able to plan adventures without having to worry about when the nurse is coming. We've done lots of yard work, enjoyed road trips with our puppy and I completed my 10th year at Jimtown. Drew has taken a break from writing as he had been caregiving and then needed to start working on outdoor projects. He's built some raised flowerbeds, planted veggies and herbs, stacked firewood and kept up with things around the house plus cooked incredible meals. He has created quite a special bond with our puppy, Dahlia. After a year of volcanos, elephant toothpaste, rockets, parachutes and lots of engineering projects, I finished a chapter of making memories with some amazing kiddos. I watched 6th graders leave our building for the last time. I met incoming third graders when they came through on their tour. I had the opportunity to photograph our Life Skills students as they participated in Unified Games day. It was such an incredible experience! I also had the pleasure of watching the first group of students I welcomed in as 3rd graders walk across the stage and earn their high school diplomas. I've attended a few open houses already and have a few more to attend. What a blessing to know that these kiddos who I love dearly care enough to ask me to be a part of this big life event. While I will be ready to get back to teaching in August, I am fully enjoying summer break so far. I've spent more time enjoying the sun already in the past 7 days than I did all last summer. I look forward to road trip adventures, sunset trips to the beach, lots of puppy playtime, s'mores and time in the summer sun.