Thought for the Day
- Donald R. McClarey
Donald R. McClarey
Cradle Catholic. Active in the pro-life movement since 1973. Father of three, one in Heaven, and happily married for 43 years. Small town lawyer and amateur historian. Former president of the board of directors of the local crisis pregnancy center for a decade.
A true statement.
My spirit feels like it’s 19 yet my bones, cartilage and what used to be muscles are constantly pulling me back to my physical reality. That’s ok.
One day closer to home. What may come tomorrow God has all ready foreseen. Today is plenty, and morning has begun.
btw….. I like her ID. A Rooster pouring a cup of coffee. Now that’s a Farmers wife with imagination and patience. 😃
For a few years of my career as an RN I worked in a small nursing home in my little town. Many of the residents, as you may imagine, were a shadow of their former selves, bodies broken down by time and health issues. Many were unable to coherently converse. A few families would put up photos of them in their younger years, from family gatherings or maybe with friends on a fishing trip etc. I always enjoyed being able to see those. It was a good reminder of who these residents really were and gave me something to chat with them about as I cared for them.
Jeri.
Absolutely. We encourage family to bring in scrap books and even home movies copied onto DVD’s. One man, A naval aviator, had taken 8mm while on board a an aircraft carrier. Post WWII and pre Korea. He was fit as a fiddle. It’s a great way for the staff to get more in touch with the resident and see them as they were.
I’m on my 25th year of caregiving. June will be 26. I love it.
Jeri & Philip –
Thank you for caring for those fading men and women.
It does my heart good that some got better care than my dad did in his last days.
On my best days, I try to pray for those “caregivers” On my worst days, what I think leads me back to the confessional.
TBO.
Abuse does exist.
I’m very sorry that your father was mistreated.
** my interpretation.**
We keep a very close eye on new hires and watch closely our patients skin for discoloration / bruising, which might indicate mishandling of our greatest treasures. I watched in horror of two so-called caregivers who brutally mistreated an elderly in their care. It was caught on camera and they were charged and jailed for their actions.
Please pray for all caregivers. We need them.
Our seniors need all of us to pray for their helpers.
Philip-
Your interpretation is correct.
Delayed pain meds when on hospice, physically struck at least once. He told me not to say anything for fear they would do worse. (I think he was right, too.) I was the only one who cared and I live 1000 miles away.
I am grateful that he is now where they can’t hurt him anymore. I have hope that he made it safely to the hinterlands of God’s kingdom.
I’m 95 and can do almost all the math puzzles on youtube (those that interest me) and have a 250,000+ monthly score on the Washington Post minicrossword. But that isn’t the point. My little grey cells (excuse the plagiarism, Hercule) are still active, even if the joints are arthritic, and sticky.
Physical aging is proof of the soul.
Every year, I can feel my body change. Eyes, knees, that thing my left shoulder does. You know what never changes, at least without constant work? Those pet concupiscences. Every time I go to the doctor we have a different conversation; every time I go to the confessional it’s a handful of things I resolve to amend. Like the psalmist says, beauty is fleeting but character lasts.
@Pinky: the concupiscence is not from you, but from Wormwood, and it doesn’t age.
TBO:
Me too.