Since Dad passed on the 12th of January it has been a nonstop whirlwind of preparation for the Memorial Service and Mass. Now that it has concluded with the least amount of destruction, we are in a new normal. Mom was staying at assisted living to sleep since Dad passed She felt closer to him. Today she decided to spend the night at home with my prompting. She wants to see if she sleeps better here at their house. I am still here caring for Mom through the mourning and adjustment to life without Dad. She has been remarkably strong. At the beginning of this mournful period she has said: “What am I going to do?” “I have lost my life.” With family surrounding her she has come full circle. She knows Dad is now at peace and she has wonderful memories to look back on. She also has the knowledge that throughout his career Dad has touched many lives and they remember him for the good he has done. He is/was a prominent figure here and was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame and the Baseball Hall of fame for his writing. And posthumously there will be many more honors he will receive for his contribution to sports. As one close friend of his stated about Dad’s career in journalism as a local sportswriter, editor and author, “he put El Paso on the map.”
Dad started his career as a sportswriter when I was born (I am 72). He went to college and they pulled him out of class to work for the local paper. Before he passed he was thinking of his next column. We focus on that now. Mom is accepting it and now we move forward.Mom has qualified for the APlus+ program and she can stay at home and 24 hour care will be provided although I will still probably have to hire out of pocket for some hours not covered by the program. But that’s okay. I am praying and hopeful that I will be able to go home every once in awhile.
I am so grateful that I have/had everything in place with the help of the estate lawyer. But before I could take Mom off Dad’s accounts (I needed his signature) things are not moving as fast as they should. Now we have to do the alternative and pray that all will be okay. In the meantime, I am still a “mess”. Caring for Mom alone is not an option. I am already hurting since I have had to help her dress for bed. The medication, the organization the overwhelming task of doing it all, bathing, changing, feeding (meals) ordering groceries. I know some do it without a care, but this is not my home. I have a husband and a home in another state. I asked Mom to come stay with me. That was an emphatic NO. Looking to the immediate future, I will definitely need some help. The girls I had before Dad was hospitalized in August, found other jobs. I need help for the longterm and pray everything will fall into place with the estate lawyer’s help. I will still go home for a few days to visit and come back to be with Mom. What is this new normal look like? I don’t know, but I am ready for whatever comes my way. I just don’t want to lose the other life I knew before this journey started.
