Last night I was bent over dad’s legs trying to fasten a
wide elastic strap. It was a feeble
attempt to keep his paralyzed leg from flopping sideways. Normally once mom gets him in his electric
chair, she sticks this homemade paddle type device in a bracket that keeps his
leg in place. After a long series of
unrelated chaos the last week, though, mom was exhausted. She misplaced the paddle yesterday afternoon.
Translated means, she probably put the paddle on top of the car roof after
wedging his body back in for a ride to the lawyer's office.
She was on time for our appointment to sign papers, but I’m
pretty sure the paddle landed somewhere between their house and Main Street in
Forney.
I was going over there anyway last night to get them packed
for the hospital. He has bladder stones, a common but icky complication of
permanent catheters. The procedure is
supposed to be outpatient, but last time he was in three days. So I showed up
to pack supplies for the worst scenario, and reassured mom that I had everything under control.
After lining the suitcases along the wall, mom and I
scavenged around the shop looking for anything we could use to create a "paddle” for dad’s leg. He didn’t care
about the packing, surgery, or mom’s need to sleep. He just wanted something to keep his leg from
flopping so he could maneuver through the doorways.. I grabbed a dowel rod and
mother got an old cutting board and roll of duct tape. I ignored Dad's attempt to send me back
out to the shop to get clamps. I had no
time for his woodworking finesse. Lydia needed a
shower, Andrew needed sinus meds to stall a looming infection. Plus, I hadn’t
even seen Tommy except to meet him the previous afternoon at an oral surgeon’s office for Andrew's consult. And that followed an
early morning emergency visit to Lydia’s orthodontist.
My life consists of schedules and needs that are spilling over in sloppy, inconvenient messes. And like the duct taped paddle, this morning it feels like
I’m just barely holding things together. But…things are holding for now. Their air
conditioner was newly installed, dad’s foot wasn’t broken in the wreck, and
months of work on their legal affairs are nearly completed. Mom’s appointment
with the heart doctor is scheduled, and Dad is heading into surgery this
morning. Yes, I suppose holding together, albeit
with duct tape is better than not isn’t it?
God, please make my migraine go away. Let me be kind and gracious today. Keep me from snapping at nurses and doctors
who ask us for the millionth time “does he have any health issues or past
surgeries” (duh!). Let me be patient,
slow to getting pissed off, and thankful for the less obvious blessings. Above all, fill me with your love so that I
won’t have regrets at the end of the day.
