Two months later - Adjusting

It has almost been 2 months since my parents moved into our home and we are getting used to the changes.  Thank you for your prayers.  I am not trying to be impersonal by keeping a blog.  It's just hard to remember who I told what.  It just seems easier to write it all in one place that you can check at your convenience.  Just to update you:

1. My parents will NOT be living in a house down the street after all.  They will be staying with us.  Li-Li has graciously given up her room for her grandparents. 

2. My will come to watch me play volleyball or attend the kid's sporting events and other extracurricular activities.  They have attended a senior's fellowship at church, but my dad is still not interested in attend Sunday services.  A friend will study the Bible with my mom and I am hoping that my dad will stay to listen (he has indicated that he's not interested). 

3.  I take my parents to the community center about 2-3 times a week and try to get them to get some exercise.  Getting exercise is important for both of them, so I am trying to take them more often.

4. I try to give them activities at home like word searches, Sudoku, jigsaw puzzles, in addition to the newspapers that they like to read.  The neurologist has said that getting exercise, learning new things, and socializing are as good as any medication that he (Dad) is taking for his memory.

So, just as I had to learn to balance my life with 4 kids, I am learning to adjust/recalibrate my life with 4 kids and 2 parents in my home.  Because my parents have different needs than my kids, I am learning to adjust but not over-stress myself.

I need your prayers...

1.  Because my blood pressure has been high.  I bought a blood pressure monitor for my parents and when I tested it on myself on several occasions, I found out that my blood pressure had been high.

2.  Please continue to pray for our family as we adjust to the new routines and lifestyle changes.

3. Please pray for my parent's salvation.  This is of utmost importance since we don't know how long my father will be able to think clearly enough to make a decision.

Your continued support & prayers is much appreciated!

Just Frustrated

If  you read this, please pray for me.  I'm frustrated.  I don't expect my dad to understand what's going on, but I had hoped that my mom would be sensitive to the changes in my life and I had hoped that she would be willing to come to church with us on Sundays.  I have had to change my Sunday schedule in order to stay at home with my dad because she sleeps in (so I have skipped Sunday School).  I come only for service and leave immediately because they're home by themselves.  Even when I invite them to church, they don't want to come and don't seem to care that I have to adjust my schedule to accommodate them. 

Adjusting to Change

We thank the Lord for a safe arrival on Saturday, July 13.  I have been wanting to write an update because I am SO in need of prayer, but didn't know where to start.  It's taken me a couple of days to think about all the things that are swimming in my head.

Here are the latest prayer requests:

1. Accepting a Loss of Freedom - this item reveals my own selfishness.  I have been enjoying the freedom to get a lot of things done because the younger ones are able to take care of themselves and entertain themselves during the day.  It is an adjustment for me to be mindful of my parent's needs and to adjust my schedule accordingly.  It's not that hard, just DIFFERENT.

2. Time Management - I will need to find time to unpack my parents' belongings in addition to my regular responsibilities.  We moved most of the boxes into our family room.  It will be my project to go through the boxes to unpack.  In addition to personal items, many of the items are from a gift shop that my parents owned many years ago and the goal is for me to sell the items through eBay, alongside the other items from my online rubber stamp store.  So, even though my original plan for the summer was to organize/clean up the house, I will need to re-adjust my plans to accommodate the items that have just arrived in my home.

3. Parents' Adjustment - My mother seems to be fine, but my father has been asking to go back home.  He's not unhappy.  I think he's just longing for something more familiar, which is very understandable.  Please pray for us to make him feel at home here.  I am also hoping to find a senior center with activities for them to do.  Please pray that I can find something suitable for them (the one that they used to attend had a pool and Wii bowling; something for each of them).

4. Taking Care of Details - Because of the move, I've had to help my parents change addresses for important bills, statements, etc.  I still need to handle the changing of their health plan, finding new doctors, etc. Please pray for me as I handle all the small details, esp. since I really don't like spending time on the phone, waiting to be helped.  Also, since we have not moved everything from their house (after 40 years of accumulation, it was just not possible to clear it all out in one week), I will need to return to clean up/pack up/sell the remainder of the stuff in the house.

5. Emotional Strength - Most days are ok, but sometimes I think about how one day my father will not recognize me or the other members of my family (this happened with my paternal grandmother and is a normal symptom of Alzheimer's disease).  It is also hard to watch him in decline, forgetting facts and things that he used to know.  Please pray for peace in the Lord.

Thank you so much for praying. I know that I cannot do this on my own.  I need the Lord's strength to do this.

Countdown: Two Days to Go

Your continued prayers are appreciated.  Please pray for:

1. Travel Safety - Plato & Tim will be taking the bus to MI and will arrive on Friday to pack up the moving truck.  We will all return to MD on Sat. WITH my parents.  Plato will be driving a 16 foot moving truck - please pray for safety in driving this large vehicle over a long distance.

2. Packing - my parents have lived in this house for over 40 years, so there is a lot of stuff to go through.  I do not need to pack everything on this trip, but I do need to decide which items to pack and I will also need to somehow fit everything into our house.

3. Final Details - besides packing physical items, there are a lot of details to take care of like cancelling services, changing services, visiting the bank, etc.  Please pray for wisdom to take care of these items and to know how to handle it all.

4. Emotional Strength - I have found that is is emotionally draining watching my Dad in his state of memory loss; forgetting things that we had discussed and having him ask me about things several times.  It's not that it's frustrating to me, but rather sad.  It's hard to watch my Dad in his state of decline.  He was always able to take care of things and now he needs to be taken care of.

5. Adjustment - it will be an adjustment not only for my parents, but for our family to all live in the same house.  It will change my daily life in many ways.  I am hoping to take my parents to a senior center for exercise & socialization which will take time out of my schedule.  Please pray for me to be able to know how to manage it all.

6. My Parent's Salvation - most importantly, please pray for my parent's salvation, esp. before my Dad's memory declines further.

Thanks so much!

Move Approved

Praise God...

1. My dad signed the power of attorney yesterday.
2. My dad has agreed to the move, so both parents are now in agreement.  My dad is even talking about the different details that need to be taken care of in order to move.  This is an answer to prayer!  I was thinking of all of the things I needed to tell my dad regarding why they should move, and before I could even do that, he had already agreed to move.

So, instead of returning on Tues., July 9, we will stay until the weekend and spend our time helping my parents to pack. 

Plato and Josh and/or Tim will come this weekend to help pack up the moving truck.  Please pray for safe travels.  We plan to return on Sunday, July 14.

We appreciate your continued prayers.  They have been a great blessing to us.  Thank you!

July 5 Update

We are very thankful to have arrived safely.  I consumed a lot of caffeine to make sure that I stayed awake.  Thank you for your prayers.  I know that it made a difference.  Today my brother & I are working on a power of attorney document (to handle financial and legal matters for our Dad when he is no longer able to do so).  Please pray for our discussion with Dad that he would understand the need for this document.

Also, we have spoken with Mom and she is convinced of the need to move to MD.  She thinks that we should plan to go ahead with the move and that Dad will come along.  I'm just not sure that he would willingly do so.  Please pray for wisdom.

July 4 Travel

Please pray for safe travel for me, Li-Li and Dian-Dian (driving time is approx. 9-10 hours) tomorrow, July 4.  I have driven this distance before with all 4 kids, but this will be the first time with just the younger ones.

Please pray for wisdom to know how to handle power of attorney, financial, and medical matters with my parents.

Please pray for wisdom to know how to speak with my parents.  I feel like moving to MD is the best for them, but it might not work out.  I need patience & wisdom.  I am hoping to talk my Dad into moving (it seems as though my Mom is willing) and bring them back with us on our return trip.

Please pray that we would have opportunities to talk about spiritual matters and be a good witness to my parents.