Friday, March 30, 2018

My Sister


Those of you who have been with me a while will recall that one of my sisters had a stroke a few years ago. She has been in a nursing home for about three years now. She was at home for a couple of years before that.

I had been talking to her on the phone regularly once she was able to speak coherently again.  It seemed to cheer her and it certainly made me feel better.

Then suddenly her phone was disconnected. I called her husband right away and there was never an answer. I managed to get through to her son (my nephew) and he said they were planning to get her phone reconnected as soon as possible.

Her husband is retired. He has diabetes and many of the problems that accompany it. My nephew also has some severe health problems. He spends a lot of time in the hospital too. The money just was not there.

I would have sent it but my money is tight too. Our whole family is not wealthy.

Needless to say I was extremely happy when she called me today. Her husband has a new number for his phone. They are not able to get her another one yet.

She has a hard time with the cell phone because it is so small. Her left side is still paralized and she has trouble holdong small items. But we had a really good conversation.

She invited me to go with her and her husband to Fiji in a couple of weeks. Fiji is her favorite of all the places she has ever been. I finally told her I would consider it. I know she cannot go anywhere with her condition.

As we always do we began to reminisce. You know how it goes. Remember when...? It was so funny when... That sort of thing.

Her husband is there with her every afternoon. She is so fortunate. Usually the spouse visits evert day at first then things happen and they miss a day here and there. Then they visit once in a while. Finally the visits are few and far between if ever.

Her son visits every day too.  He would be lost without his mother. The only problem is that he is in and out of the hospital with his condition. She worries about him.

I got to tell her about my adventure. I was coming up the front steps into the house. I lost my balance and fell right off the porch!

As usual I landed right on my face.

My son came running to help me up and make sure I was not hurt. Except for a few scrapes and a few sore places I am fine. I guess it is official; I am old.  So I made my sister laugh.

At the end of our conversation her husband asked to speak to me. I think he went into the hall. He proceeded to tell me that they are not really going to Fiji. And that my sister's mind tends to wander. I told him I knew that and he did not need to worry. I will not make him buy me a ticket to Fiji.

The reason I wrote this is to update my sister's story. Now I can breathe easier because I finally am able to talk to her again.

12 comments:

  1. That must have been a huge worry not being able to talk to her, and not knowing why the phone was cut off. I hope you don't have any lingering aches or pains from that fall. I fell in the garage a while back (on the hard concrete) and it seemed to take forever for the aches to subside. But they did.

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    1. The biggest ache is to my ego. I have a couple of spots that I feel if I move wrong. My face still has a few scratches that will be there for a while because I am a slow healer. Other than that I am tip-top.

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  2. Emma, there aren't enough sisters like you. Are you available for adoption?

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  3. You sound like a wonderful sister anyone would be lucky to have.

    I had a fall a couple of weeks ago in our house. I was moving some boxes from our extra bedroom to the garage so that the cleaning ladies could get to the baseboards and the blinds. I tripped over the leg of the bed and went KERSPLAT!!! onto the floor. Normally I would have had just a few scrapes and minor bruises, but because I have been taking a very strong blood thinner twice a day since the five stents were put in my coronary arteries last summer, I got huge purple uglies on both legs and one arm that are just now beginning to fade. Scary to look at but no real harm done.

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    1. I have known several people who got older and fell breaking bones. They died from complications due to their injuries. It makes me worry about falling.

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  4. While taking our dogs for a walk recently, Inwas trying to kick their “fetch ball”!and fell on my face. The first thing I did was look around to see if anyone saw me :)
    I wasn’t hurt but the episode has made me more mindful.
    Send me your email address if you would I have something I want to send you. Rick@rickwatson-writer.com.

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    1. I find it amusing that the first thing most of us feel when we fall is embarrassment. I wonder why.

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  5. I am so happy that love between both of you is so deep my dear Emma!
    this love makes the relationship worth having!

    glad that she got another phone and she is able to chat with you again

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    1. Some days she simply needs a friendly voice and and friendly ear. She cannot even sit in a wheelchair so she is stuck in bed all the time.

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