My Sister

 I have wo younger sisters. The one who is four years younger than I am has been in a nursing home for years.

She suffered a severe stroke many years ago which left her unable to care for herself. For many years her husband took care of her at home. My nephew stopped by every day to help.

They fed her, bathed her, changed her clothes, and did everything for her. 

Eventually she needed more care than they could give her. She went to live in a nursing home. Her husband and son were there every day at least for the time they were not at work. On weekends they spent the whole day with her. Besides keeping her company they helped with physical therapy.

Her son died and she was devastated. He had been the focus of her world for so many years. I knew he was ill but I did not know how serious it was. 

I spoke to him on the phone and he sounded so bad. I said, " You know I love you." He said, "I know. I love you too." It was the last time I talked to him. I am now obsessive about telling people I love them. It has become so important to me.

Back to my sister. Her husband called me to let me know she was in the emergency room. She has not been feeling well for months. They diagnosed COPD. They would move her to ICU as soon as they could.

He held his phone to her ear. I was able to tell her I love her. She loves me too.

My brother-in-law called me this morning. The doctors have recommended that he "pull the plug." I think he was looking for another opinion. I do not want her to suffer any more. There seems to be no hope for life. It is time. 

I assured him I would back him on whatever decision he makes. He is her husband after all.

So tomorrow morning he will tell them to not keep her alive using artificial means. I am losing my sister.

She will be the third younger sibling I am losing. I do not want to die but it is not right that they go before me. As you can tell I am feeling sorry for myself. I know it will pass over time. For now I need to do it.

Please remind your loved ones you love them. You will feel better when you do.

In The Bathroom

 This is to be the year of renovation. We are planning on re-doing the whole house.

We intended to begin with the living room. We ordered the wallpaper and it came today. It is gorgeous. It looks like flattened rocks. It is self-sticking so we do not have to mess with paste.

We still have not decided on floor covering yet. Carpeting is one option. Another is area rugs. Perhaps we will install some of the flooring that looks like hardwood. 

We have installed paper in one corner of the room. It looks great. The rest will happen tomorrow. We are in no hurry.

In the meantime my second son came. He brought a friend who is a carpenter. 

My sons and the carpenter did the bathroom. They removed the floor. I could see everything below the bathroom. The bathtub was replaced with a shower. The toilet is energy efficient. It also sits higher than the old one. They try to take care of old Mom.

There is a new vanity that holds the sink with a marble counter. We also have a new floor that looks like charcoal colored wood.

My son and the carpenter are planning to come back in a few months to work on some other things.