jJUST RE;LAXING...

i WENT OVER AND HAD LUNCH WITH PAUL...ONE OF THE LADIES HAD A BIRTHDAY..86TH..AND WE HAD A WONDERFUL MEAL OF FRIED CHICKEN, NEW POTATOES, AND GREEN BEANS WITH ORANGE SHERBET PUNCH AND A DELICIOUS BIRTHDAY CAKE..THEN PAUL AND I WENT BACK TO HIS ROOM...HE BEGAN BY LOOKING AROUND AT EVERYTHING AND FINALLY WENT TO THE OTHER SIDE OF HIS BED AND STARTED UNDRESSING..I AM SITTING THERE KNITTING, SO I GOT UP AND HAD ONE OF THE MEN COME AND I JUST LEFT THEM TOGETHER IN THE ROOM...WHEN I WENT BACK, PAUL WAS COMPLETELY DRESSED IN ANOTHER OUTFIT AND AFTER LOOKING AROUND A LITTLE HE WENT OVER TURNED HIS COVERS DOWN AND CLIMBED IN BED AND PROCEEDED TO GO TO SLEEP...BEFORE WE CAME IN AFTER SUPPER, HE TOLD ME HE WANTED ME TO LEAVE AND I TOLD HIM THAT HE WAS STUCK WITH ME AS I COULDN'T LEAVE UNTIL STEVE CAME FOR ME..STEVE DID COME AND I CAME HOME WHERE I HAD SOMETHING TO EAT. ADDRESSED A CARD TO MY FRIEND WHO IS IN THE HOSPITAL...AND NOW I AM GOING TO GET READY FOR BED....GOODNIGHT...MARY

MY SOLITARY LIFE......

i JUST CAME HOME FROM HAVING SUPPER AND SPENDING SOME TIME WITH PAUL..THIS IS SO HEARTBREAKING FOR ME..HE IS QUICKLY LEAVING ME BEHIND...NOT THAT HE DOESN'T RESPOND BUT HAS AN INNER LIFE OF HIS OWN...WHEN I GOT THERE THIS EVENING HE WAS SITTING AT A TABLE WHERE A FELLOW FRIEND WAS LOOKING AT A PHOTO ALBUM AND WAS DISTURBEDD THAT PAUL WAS NOT JOINING HER IN LOOKING AT THE PICTURES...I SAT DOWN AND TOLD HER THAT HE DID THIS BECAUSE IT WAS HER FAMILY AND HE DIDN'T KNOW THEM...THEN SHE SAID WELL, I WILL TELL THEM WHO THEY ARE BUT PAUL STILL WASN'T INTERESTED...I WALKED WITH PAUL TO HIS ROOM AND VERN IN HIS WHEELCHAIR FOLLOWED US AND CAME INTO THE ROOM AND ASK ME THAT AFTER I HAD PUT PAUL TO BED, THEN I COULD COME AND PUT HIM TO BED...I STAYED FOR EVENING MEAL WHICH AS USUAL WAS VERY GOOD...I AM KNITTING A LITTLE BEAR TO SEND TO A CHILD IN AFRICA SO I WANT TO DO A LITTLE KNITTING TONIGHT...IT HAS BEEN A LONG DAY AS I WENT TO MY DOCTOR THIS AFTERNOON AND HE WANTS TO SEE ME NEXT WEEK AND THEN WE WILL THEN GO TO EVERY OTHER WEEK...HE IS HELPING WITH THE DIFFICULT TASK OF REALIZING THAT I TRULY AM LOSING MY LOVE AND WILL HAVE TO PICK UP THE PIECES AS BEST I CAN...GOODNIGHT FOR NOW....MARY

SO GRATEFUL FOR ANOTHER DAY..

I JUST WATCH THE MOVIE "PRAYERS FOR BOBBY" AND WAS VERY MOVED OF A STORY OF A FAMILY AND HOW THEY HANDLED THAT THEIR SON WAS GAY..I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS MOVIE TO YOU IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN IT...I WENT TO CHURCH THIS MORNING, THEN OUT TO THE 8TH STREET GRILL TO HAVE LUNCH WITH EILEEN AND STEVE...THEN THEY TOOK ME BY THE COTTAGE AND I SPENT THE AFTERNOON WITH PAUL AND HAD SUPPER WITH HIM...HE SEEMS TO BE MUCH MORE RELAXED AND AT HOME..IT IS HEARTBREAKING TO SEE HOW THIS TERRIBLE DISEASE IS ROBBING HIM AND I MUST CONFESS THAT I HAD TO HAVE A GOOD CRY..THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO CRY IN ABOUT 1 1/2 YEARS..I AM GROWING TO LOVE AND CARE FOR THE OTHER ELDERS AND FIND THAT THEY ARE BECOMING A PART OF MY FAMILY..SO AS I FEEL THAT THE PEOPLE OF APPLEDORN FEEL LIKE FAMILY...SO DOES THE PEOPLE BOERSMA COTTAGE..THIS HAS BEEN ANOTHER LONG DAY AND I LOOK FORWARD TO SOME REST...GOODNIGHT AND GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU..LOVE, MARY

The ending of a day..................

AS USUAL, I HAVE HAD A VERY FULL DAY..OVER TO HAVE LUNCH WITH PAUL..(BAKED CHICKEN BEAST, MACARONI AND CHEESE, SPINACH, AND A CHERRY BURRITO, WHICH WAS VERY GOOD...THEN HOME AND AFTER STEVE'S LESSON, HE CAME AND TOOK ME TO ALDI'S WHERE I DID SOME GROCERY SHOPPING...HE CAME UP WITH ME, HAD A CUP OF COFFEE AND DID MY BILLS..I AM REALLY, REALLY TIRED SO THIS WILL BE SHORT TONIGHT....LOVE YOU ALL....MARY

DAY IS DYING IN THE WEST, HEAVEN IS TOUCHING EARTH WITH REST............

THIS IS THE END OF ANOTHER BUSY DAY...I HAD BREAKFAST, WATCHED THE NEWS, DRESSED AND WENT OVER TO SEE PAUL AT 1:3O..HAD LUNCH WITH HIM...THIS IS SUCH A PLEASANT EXPERIENCE AS WE EAT ALL OF US TOGETHER AROUND A LONG TABLE..IT WAS ANNOUNCED THAT ANNA HAD A BIRTHDAY WEDNESDAY AND I AM INVITED...BEFORE LUNCH PAUL AND I DID ARMCHAIR EXERCISES WITH THE GROUP..PAUL ACTUALLY ENTER INTO THIS ACTIVITY...THEN AFTER LUNCH ONE OF THE LADIES READ US THREE STORIES FROM ONE OF THE CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL (I'M NOT SURE THIS IS THE CORRECT TITLE} THEN AROUND 1;30 STEVE AND EILEEN CAME AND TOOK ME TO THE GROCERY STORY..THEN HOME...AT 3;30 I MET WITH THE BUILDING DIRECTORY TO SEE WHAT IS AVAILABLE IN A SMALLER APARTMENT...THEN AT 4 O'CLOCK I ATTENDED THE HAPPY HOUR FOR A POTLUCK...NOW YOU KNOW WHAT FILLED MY DAY..I AM GOING TO GET READY FOR BED AND EITHER READ OR WATCH TV IF THERE IS ANYTHING GOOD TO WATCH...HAVE A GOOD EVENING....MARY

HOME AT APPLEDORN

I have been busy this morning having breakfast and since my coffee maker suddenly stopped making coffee, I made a trip down to the dining room to get a cup..I have a load of sweaters to wash before I go over to the Cottage to see Paul and have lunch with him...then off to get my hair done...it is so nice just to be a wife to Paul, supporting and loving him...although my back aches (I am taking pain pills) however
in two weeks I go to my Pain Management Clinic and hopeful the pain will be much better...I am so pleased with the care that Paul is getting..I feel that it the best and he belongs there where he is close and I can come and go and be with him..he is
adjusting well..Steve Eileen, Mark and Leigh continue to give me much needed support..this will be short as I am getting ready to go see Paul....

AN EVENING AT HOME AT APPLEDORN VILLAGE

MY DAY STARTED AT 5 A.M....AFTER BREAKFAST, I CALLED AT 6 A.M. TO SEE HOW PAUL'S NIGHT WENT AND SHE TOLD ME THAT HE WAS AWAKE AT 3A.M. BUT HAD GONE BACK TO SLEEP AND WAS SLEEPING. THEN, AT 7 A.M., I CALLED JON AND ANN AND TOLD THEM WHAT WE HAD DONE..THEN AROUND10 I WENT OVER AND STAYED WITH PAUL UNTIL ABOUT 4 P.M. I HAD LUNCH WITH HIM AND THEN SAT WITH HIM AS HE SLEPT SOME AND WHEN HE WANTED TO GET UP, WE WOULD WALK AROUND THE COTTAGE..I CALLED DAVID AND CYNTHIA AND PAUL TALKED WITH DAVID WHICH I THOUGHT WAS GOOD FOR HIM...I LEFT A LITTLE AFTER FOUR AND EILEEN AND STEVE TOOK ME TO WALGREENS WHERE I PICKED SOME ITEMS ON SALE...THEN I CAME HOME AND PUT ON MY GOWN AND SLIPPERS AND TURNED T.V. ON AND ON THE HALMARK STATION, THE MOVIE OF FIVE PERSONS I MET ON MY WAY TO HEAVEN WHICH I WATCHED..HAD SOME SUPPER..SO AS YOU CAN SEE THIS HAS BEEN A VERY BUSY DAY FOR ME AND SOON I WILL BE OFF TO SLUMBERLAND...I ALSO HAD A CALL FROM MY FRIEND, HILDA, TO SEE HOW EVERYTHING WENT WITH PAUL GOING INTO THE COTTAGE..THEY SAY THAT MOST OF THE PERSONS USUALLY AJUST TO THEIR NEW LIVING SITUATION IN ABOUT 3 WEEKS...I LIKE THAT I CAN GO AND BE WITH HIM, EAT WITH HIM, VISIT WITH HIM, OR JUST READ A BOOK OR WATCH TV WHEN HE DOZES OFF..I AM SO GRATEFUL TO MY CHILDREN WHO HAVE BEEN AND STILL ARE WITH ME AS I FIND MY WAY IN MY NEW WORLD AND ALSO GRATEFUL TO MY HEAVENLY FATHER WHO HAS BEEN AND STILL IS WATCHING OVER US...SO,,,,,,,,,,,,GOOD NIGHT EVERYONE............MARY

AT THE END OF THE DAY...

THIS HAS BEEN A BUSY DAY AND EVEN THOUGH MY BACK HAS BEEN ACHING, I HAVE GOTTEN A FEW THINGS DONE..THE COMFORT KEEPER CAME THIS MORNING AND PAUL ALLOWED HER TO DRESS AND SHAVE HIM...THEN, TONIGHT WHEN SHE CAME BACK, I TOOK MY CD, "MARLEY AND ME' AND WENT DOWN TO THE LIBRARY AND LEFT THEM ALONG FOR HER TO GET HIM READY FOR BED...I ONLY READ ABOUT 1/2 HOUR AS A FRIEND CAME BY AND WE CHATTED UNTIL 8 O'CLOCK AND THEN I CAME BACK AND FOUND THAT HE WAS IN BED..I HAD NICOLE HELP ME PUT A HEATING PATCH ON MY BACK BEFORE LEAVING..SO NOW I AM GOING TO GET READY FOR BED....GOODNIGHT ALL......

A SNOWY DAY IN HOLLAND....

It has been a lovely snowy day here, of course, I didn't have to drive in it...yesterday Steve and I ate at Bob Evans and today while he did my grocery shopping I went to Ditto Resale place and found a couple of items...This morning Paul responded read good to Laura (Comfort Keeper) and tonight also letting her help him take a shower and I left the apartment so she could deal with him and she did...this is short but I have a backpain (first in a long time) and I am sleepy.................