Monday, January 24, 2005
FEBRUARY AND MARCH....1986
February started out nicely and then got out of hand. Several of our friends had birthdays and we had dinners to honor each one. I bought some yarn and a new pattern to make little John a birthday sweater to give him in April. It was fun working on something so little again and also to knit for a change.
Mid-month we drove to Springfield for some shopping and then to Becky’s home in Ozark to visit before coming home. Warren woke up this particular morning with his right eye watering and feeling irritated. He had been driving a little deaf girl to school for special education and she came down with pink eye. He figured that was what he was getting and brushed it out of his mind. He had asked me to drive because his eye was bothering him so much.
By the time we got to Becky’s he couldn’t blink his eye, the right side of his face was paralyzed and it was difficult for him to eat or drink. She thought we’d better get him to an emergency room so I drove straight to Fort Leonard Wood and got him in to ER. I sat in the waiting room two hours while they had him on monitors and later diagnosed him as having Bells Palsy. They gave him prescriptions and instructions and sent us on our way. I drove home…..it was 9:30pm when we stepped in the door. I had driven over 300-miles that day…..it was long and tiresome…….and we were glad it was over.
They treated him with steroids and drops in the eye. He had to wear a patch over it since he couldn’t close it. His mouth was affected as well and the right side of his face was pulled downward from the stressed nerves. Two days later I drove him back to Leonard Wood for a check-up and he was coming along OK with the medications. By the end of the month he was back to normal and it was just a topic of education for us. With every negative we deal with in these bodies of ours, we learn a little more about the way they work and what they can and can’t handle. We were thankful the Palsy didn’t leave any evidence of the ordeal once it was over.
March is active because of the family birthdays which always seemed to happen in this month. John was 29-years this time. My baby….almost thirty. None of us could have imagined the changes this night would bring. Becky called in the early morning hours, between midnight and daylight. George Jr. had called to tell her their step-mother died sometime after midnight.
It seems she had retired from her long-time job and she and George Sr. had been to her retirement party. Irene hadn’t felt well and was battling some kind of a flu bug. Upon reaching home she went straight to bed and George Sr. stayed up a while to watch TV. Hearing a “funny sound” that came from the bedroom, he went to the doorway to see if she needed something but she made no response. He couldn’t find a pulse and frantically called an ambulance but by the time they arrived she was gone. She had suffered congestive heart failure.
Becky made arrangements and drove straight to Shawnee to be with her dad through the planning of the funeral and to help with what other needs he may have. George lived close and John flew to KC later in the month, thinking it was good to stretch the visits out a little. During the first few days one is always in shock more or less so he thought it would be best to “be there” for him a little later in the month. It was tragic to die immediately after her retirement party…Irene hadn’t even had time to open her many cards and gifts. It’s a reminder that we should always have our souls in readiness to meet our maker. As with her, death may come suddenly at any time.
Becky’s birthday was the 27th and Easter was the 30th this year. We had been working on the Easter Cantata for weeks and sang it for the morning worship hour. It is always inspiring and something I looked forward to. It also meant there would be no more extra choir practices which was a relief to most of us.
Becky had moved to Springfield and was working so Warren and I drove to Springfield to enroll Jennifer and Jonathan in the school district where they would attend. We stayed with them until time for Becky to come home and then drove back to Willow Springs. The long winter was over…..and buds were popping everywhere. Nature yawned and stretched and decided to come out of hibernation to bring life to our beloved hillsides once more. We always waited for her to arrive with open arms………
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
Mid-month we drove to Springfield for some shopping and then to Becky’s home in Ozark to visit before coming home. Warren woke up this particular morning with his right eye watering and feeling irritated. He had been driving a little deaf girl to school for special education and she came down with pink eye. He figured that was what he was getting and brushed it out of his mind. He had asked me to drive because his eye was bothering him so much.
By the time we got to Becky’s he couldn’t blink his eye, the right side of his face was paralyzed and it was difficult for him to eat or drink. She thought we’d better get him to an emergency room so I drove straight to Fort Leonard Wood and got him in to ER. I sat in the waiting room two hours while they had him on monitors and later diagnosed him as having Bells Palsy. They gave him prescriptions and instructions and sent us on our way. I drove home…..it was 9:30pm when we stepped in the door. I had driven over 300-miles that day…..it was long and tiresome…….and we were glad it was over.
They treated him with steroids and drops in the eye. He had to wear a patch over it since he couldn’t close it. His mouth was affected as well and the right side of his face was pulled downward from the stressed nerves. Two days later I drove him back to Leonard Wood for a check-up and he was coming along OK with the medications. By the end of the month he was back to normal and it was just a topic of education for us. With every negative we deal with in these bodies of ours, we learn a little more about the way they work and what they can and can’t handle. We were thankful the Palsy didn’t leave any evidence of the ordeal once it was over.
March is active because of the family birthdays which always seemed to happen in this month. John was 29-years this time. My baby….almost thirty. None of us could have imagined the changes this night would bring. Becky called in the early morning hours, between midnight and daylight. George Jr. had called to tell her their step-mother died sometime after midnight.
It seems she had retired from her long-time job and she and George Sr. had been to her retirement party. Irene hadn’t felt well and was battling some kind of a flu bug. Upon reaching home she went straight to bed and George Sr. stayed up a while to watch TV. Hearing a “funny sound” that came from the bedroom, he went to the doorway to see if she needed something but she made no response. He couldn’t find a pulse and frantically called an ambulance but by the time they arrived she was gone. She had suffered congestive heart failure.
Becky made arrangements and drove straight to Shawnee to be with her dad through the planning of the funeral and to help with what other needs he may have. George lived close and John flew to KC later in the month, thinking it was good to stretch the visits out a little. During the first few days one is always in shock more or less so he thought it would be best to “be there” for him a little later in the month. It was tragic to die immediately after her retirement party…Irene hadn’t even had time to open her many cards and gifts. It’s a reminder that we should always have our souls in readiness to meet our maker. As with her, death may come suddenly at any time.
Becky’s birthday was the 27th and Easter was the 30th this year. We had been working on the Easter Cantata for weeks and sang it for the morning worship hour. It is always inspiring and something I looked forward to. It also meant there would be no more extra choir practices which was a relief to most of us.
Becky had moved to Springfield and was working so Warren and I drove to Springfield to enroll Jennifer and Jonathan in the school district where they would attend. We stayed with them until time for Becky to come home and then drove back to Willow Springs. The long winter was over…..and buds were popping everywhere. Nature yawned and stretched and decided to come out of hibernation to bring life to our beloved hillsides once more. We always waited for her to arrive with open arms………
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
