Tuesday Tales: An Update

 

The last four and a half weeks of our lives have been completely unexpected. Completely. And I have mentally and literally written and rewritten this post a dozen times. I’m up in the middle of the night rewriting it again.

                I’ve shared bits and pieces over the last few weeks about my dad’s health, and it’s so hard to know what to share and what not to share. It’s not entirely my story to tell, but his story impacts mine. It also impacts Mom’s story, my sisters’ stories…none of us are an island, they say. They’re right.

                The short version of the story is that a little over a month ago, Dad suddenly became ill and was diagnosed with the flu. He was hospitalized for a bit, released to rehab, taken back to the hospital with double pneumonia, released back to rehab, and in all of it, we’ve been on quite the roller coaster.

                I have heard before that the flu in the elderly is no joke and can create quite the spiral of symptoms. I don’t know if it’s fair to say we’ve had all of them, but I feel I can safely say we’ve had many.

                The road is long. I don’t know exactly what it will look like. But life as a whole – for all of us –  looks far different than it did a month ago, and that’s hard.

                My sisters have each been here to help, to give us breaks, and even though they’re back home, they’re still helping from a distance.

                 Ryan has been amazing, explaining so many things to all of us, helping with the hard decisions, and showing up to sit with me in the ER every time we had to make a trip.

                For the prayers, the messages, the kindness you’ve shown for this scatter-brained girl over the last few weeks – thank you. We are so tired, but we have been tired before and know that God gives strength when ours runs out. (And it has.)

                I welcome your prayers for Dad – and for Mom – as they navigate so many changes in such a short time. And for all of us, as we try to make decisions that support them well, we crave your prayers.

                Thanks for reading along today and for caring for us!