I have to tell you it's been one heck of a week. I had my formal retirement ceremony this past week and it was phenomenal. My sister, niece and nephew drove all of Monday night to be there for the ceremony on Tuesday. My former boss arranged for us to have a fabulous lunch at the exec dining room - YUMMY! We then toured the building a little as none of my family had been to my place of work previously. I had requested my old boss speak at the ceremony about my career. WOW is all I can say! She did her research and pulled out stories that few knew about. It was fun as my old office colleagues ended the ceremony with a mini flash mob to remind me of my retirement party in June. It was a great way to end the ceremony with laughter and dancing. I have to admit I was surprised at the emotion I felt when it was time for me to speak. I had nothing prepared, but spoke from my heart. It was a short speech and I'm sure that my gratefulness did not come across as well as I would have liked, but I made it through with a few tears. I can't believe the plaques and medallions I was presented with along with a flag that flew over the building. It was great seeing many colleagues and collecting lots of hugs. My family and I drove to Massachusetts on Wednesday so it was a whirlwind of activity and emotions.
I have to admit that I was a bit worried about seeing my mom this week. I have seen pictures, but was not sure if she would know me or how she would look in person. My mom has good days and bad days as most people do with this disease. I must say that I felt quite relieved when mom recognized me and we held a basic conversation. I showed her some of the trinkets I received at retirement and she seemed to understand. I had a good conversation with the nurse on duty and learned of some of the changes that have been going on in the hospital. How my mom was doing or not doing with her eating and therapy. I also saw some of the staff that I knew from my summer visit and caught up with information. The hospital liaison is still working with me and the insurance companies to be sure we do not have any drops in coverage and paperwork is completed. I think the paperwork is more painful than the disease sometimes.
The longer I am around Alzheimer's patients the more I am convinced that weather plays a part in the mood and beings of all people. I know how I feel when the weather is cloudy/rainy/cold/etc. I did not go to visit mom yesterday because I ended up with a change of season cold. When I picked my dad up yesterday he said how emotional my mom was and in some ways mean to him. I said did you notice the mood of some of the other patients? He indicated that quite a few appeared edgy and emotional. I am hoping today is better for mom and the other patients. I stayed home today to be on the safe side as I do not want to pass on any germs. Better safe than sorry with germs.
I have so many things I want to get done while here and I'm exhausted with this cold. I did arrange for a roofer to come today to look at a leak we discovered during the rain the other day. I am making a list....checking it twice....hopefully next week I'll start making progress. What do you when you have so much to do and just don't have the energy to take it on? I did join a local gym when I arrived here and worked out two days in a row. I am doing what I can to take care of me as I fight this silly cold.
I have not finished reading anything this week. My suitcase was packed with at least 10 books to keep me occupied. Just too tired to turn any pages. I do hope to see some friends and family while I'm home this time. Yet, it already seems that time is flying by.
I went to church this morning with my dad. It's been a while since I actually attended formal mass. As most of you know I am a non practicing catholic. I have my faith and belief in God, but do not feel the need for the formalities of church services on Sunday. Some of the prayers have changed, but overall it is still the same. The sermon was interesting as the pastor discussed moving from maintenance to mission. Some of what he said hit home. As I pondered his words, I immediately thought of coaching and how in the past I talked about bringing it to some community centers. I am contemplating a plan and need to hash it out some more. Perhaps this is something I can do while here in Plymouth every other month.
I did not ask you a lot of questions today, I basically put a lot of me out there. I hope what I wrote generates something in you that relates to your life. Perhaps you have some ideas on what's next and I would love to hear from you.
I am going to end here today. I have narrowed my new pictures down to four and hopefully within the next two weeks you will see a new face on the website. I hope you have a good week. October is month full of birthdays for my friends and family. A big shout out to: Linda, Mary, Sue, Debbie and my dad. Take care. Marie
“You can talk with someone for years, everyday, and still, it won't mean as much as what you can have when you sit in front of someone, not saying a word, yet you feel that person with your heart, you feel like you have known the person for forever.... connections are made with the heart, not the tongue.”
― C. JoyBell C.
"To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream, not only plan, but also believe." Anatole France, Critic, Writer
"Falling down is part of life. Getting back up is living. " Anonymous
Referrals are always appreciated.