Sane, Simple, Sacred: Happy Birthday, Mother

Happy Birthday, Mother

The Dairy Queen ice cream cake (chocolate chip cookie dough)

was sliced and served up on hot pink plates.

Colorful Happy Birthday napkins were distributed.

Three times we sang as her fellow-residents wandered in...

Happy birthday to you;

Happy birthday, dear Elda;

Happy birthday to you.

Now and then a smile played at the corners of her lips.

Her eyes met mine. Silently. Quizzically.

Only the day before I'd finished reading Anne Lamott's Small Voices.

I'd copied these words from page 266 into my journal--

anticipating this hour;

determined to shine my best light on her...

"It is so lovely to celebrate the life of a person who is still here,

a chance to shine our best light on her as she shone her light on us,

before the light goes out."

Dementia is dimming her lights, but my love for her is brighter than ever!

Happy 89th birthday, Mother.

...

12 comments:

SandyFebruary 3, 2016 at 8:45 AM
My heart feels your pain as I went through the same circumstances with my dear father.
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Deanna Rabe - Creekside Cottage BlogFebruary 3, 2016 at 9:39 AM
Happy Birthday, Elda!

Rebecca, you are beautifully serving your mother and father. Honoring them. Thank you for sharing this journey with us.

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Cheryl February 3, 2016 at 11:01 AM
Precious, precious post!! Happy birthday to your mom! I love that you are "celebrating the life of a person who is still here"..."shining your best light" on her.
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JackieFebruary 3, 2016 at 11:43 AM
Happy birthday to your sweet Mother.
I know the pain that your are going through (Paul's Mother had Alzheimer's) ...I also feel love and compassion for your Mother.....I can only imagine the confusion she has as she tries to understand who the people are that she genuinely doesn't recognize. It is heartbreaking for patient and for those who love them.
Feel warmest hugs and much love, Rebecca. And give your Mama a special hug from me. I pray for each of you.
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FlowerLady LorraineFebruary 3, 2016 at 1:35 PM
Your mother looks so lovely on her birthday. I'm glad it was a nice celebration and what lovely words from that book to encourage and inspire not just you, but your readers as well.

Love, hugs & prayers ~ FlowerLady
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Nellie's Cozy PlaceFebruary 3, 2016 at 6:14 PM
Hi Rebecca,
That is a wonderful quote and oh so true. I have a friend who always says I would
rather give my flowers to my family and friends while they are still living so they
can enjoy them now.........
Great thoughts, cause how many times do we think endearing thoughts about our
family and friends and never pass on the gift of telling them...........and
how much more encouraged would our world be if we all realized we needed to
not just think good thoughts but pass them on to the person we thought about.
I went to a funeral of a elderly Pastor years ago and so many people said amazing
things about him and I silently wondered if he ever knew how loved he was.......
and thought right then and there I needed to get more encouraging thoughts out
of my mouth and into those I love and admire.
Course, I have a feeling the Lord will show him once he gets to heaven just how
well loved he was........

Defintely a fitting quote for your situation with your MOM, know this has to
be a hard and gutwrenching time as she is slowly slipping away......

Praying for you as you navigate these times.
Love and Blessings, Nellie

and Happy Birthday to your MOM..........

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"We simplify, not just to be less busy, even though we may be right to pursue that. Rather, we simplify to remove distractions from our pursuit of Christ. We prune activities from our lives, not only to get organized, but also that our devotion to Christ and service for His kingdom will be more fruitful. We simplify, not merely to save time, but to eliminate hindrances to the time we devote to knowing Christ. All the reasons we simplify should eventually lead us to Jesus Christ!" (Donald S. Whitney)

Dedicated to my sister-in-law, Beth--a TRUE home manager....

"I work for a King. He has put me in charge of his home. When He comes to see how I have managed His possessions and His children, I do not want to be found wanting. I want to do my best. Everything I have is on loan from Him. I have room and board and a job to do, but it is all for Him. Therefore I want to dress my best and do my best in all my work. I also want to be creative, for this is a sincere attempt to glorify Him and His beautiful creation. How I manage my home is a form of worship to Him." --Lydia Sherman

"A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry,
and see a fine picture every day of his life,
in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul."

~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Contentment makes poor men rich.

-Benjamin Franklin

"What I am gradually discovering is that in the writing I come in touch with the Spirit of God." ~ Nouwen

~~"Reading without reflecting is like eating without digesting."~~Edmund Burke

C.S. Lewis: "To trust Him means, of course, trying to do all that He says. There would be no sense in trusting a person if you wouldn't take his advice. Thus if you have really handed yourself over to Him, it must follow that you are trying to obey Him."

"To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich; to listen to stars and birds, babes and sages, with open heart; to study hard; to think quietly, act frankly, talk gently, await occasions, hurry never; in a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common--this is my symphony." William Henry Channing

“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Apostle Paul: "But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13-14)

"It's a good thing to have all the props pulled out from under us occasionally. It gives us some sense of what is rock under our feet, and what is sand. It stops us from taking anything for granted. It has also taught me alot about living in the immediate moment. I am somehow managing to live one day, one hour at a time." Madeleine L'Engle

FIVE CERTAINTIES
WITH WHICH TO
START YOUR DAY

God holds you. Each day he carries us in his arms. Psalm 68:19 NLT
God sustains you. THE LORD is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack. Psalm 23:1 AMP
God covers you. He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings shall you trust. Psalm 91:4 AMP
God pours His love upon you. Through each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me. Psalm 42:8 NLT
God will not fail you. The unfailing love of the Lord never ends! Lamentations 3:22 NLT

THE BLOGGER'S PRAYER Lord, help me to learn to spell without spellcheck, manage to visit all that visit me, and post regularly - all in 5 minutes a day, so that I can clean house and take care of my family. Help me to not look at every occurrence in my life as a blog post, and to quit taking pictures of weird things to share as well. Please Lord, help me to stop talking about my blog friends as though they are next door neighbors or someone I have known all of my life. And help me, dear Lord, to think of something witty and wise to post tomorrow.
Love, The Dust Bunny Hostage

Sane, Simple, Sacred

Mercy

Happy Birthday, Mother

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Writing a Song a Week #3