Greatest man I've ever known is waning.....

[Barinthus]

Originally posted by Tiamat
If I can say anything to anyone on this board.....if you have family you've had problems with or someone you hold a grudge against.....make a mends. Do it know before you never have the chance. It's so important whether you think so or not. Don't let time pass you by and keep a cold heart. Life is way to precious and way to short. Tell the people in your life every day at least once a day that you love them and appreciate them because we never really know do we? We could pull out of our driveway and get hit and then it's over. And they would never know how you feel. Don't waste a chance to tell someone, don't waste time being petty or holding a grudge becuase in the end it just doesn't matter...it just doesn't. Make time.

Wholeheartly second you on that. It's something most of us tend to forget sometimes.

I'm glad they were finally straight with you with your dad. As always, I will be wishing and hoping for the best for you folks.

[-Jrabbit]

I went through a similar experience a few years ago with my Dad (who passed away), and just recently with my Mom (who has made an amazing recovery from a subdermal hematoma).

You speak truth, Tia. Family is forever, and the bonds are amazingly strong. Parenting your parents through ill health is a situation I didn't really anticipate. But what really surprised me was how rewarding it can be.

My thoughts and prayers are with you and your Dad in this difficult time.

[Alex]

I'm hoping for the best, Tia.

[Tiamat]

Yes, it's funny when the child suddenly becomes the parent. I have come back to Austin today to drop of the husband and gather all the grandchildren so they can go and spend their time with him.

His level that had droped is now rising again. It was at a 4.2 but is now up to a 4.4 which doesn't seem like anything but when you need it to be going down instead of up......well. His blood sugar continues to be between 175 and 290 so he's taking inslin injections. Will post more later but I just got off the road from a 5 1/2 hour trip so I want to eat and rest and regroup. Thanks for all the good thoughts....some days that's all you can do.

Oh on a cool note he has such wonderful stories of flying planes in WWII, Korea and vietnam as well as great stories about growing up during the depression etc....so we have now started recording all of them we keep him talking for hours a day which is very cool.

[Dis]

don't forget to get some rest now . be careful on the road.

[Snotty]

I have never had a conversation with you Tiamat, although I have read your posts before. This community brings together people in a way I didnt know possible.

I wish you and your father all the wellbeing I can give. I dont pray for many things but this....

[Tiamat]

Thank you btw love the name Steve and I were just commenting on how funny it is that life can turn on a dime and everything you know or thought you knew suddenly just doesn't apply much less even matter anymore. You never know what type of curve life is going to throw you.

And yes this community is truly that.....a community where you can come and get support if you need it or get bitc*ed out if you need it to! But it gives me great comfort to have somewhere like this to turn to when my whole world has turned upside down.

[MrFun]

Originally posted by Tiamat

Oh on a cool note he has such wonderful stories of flying planes in WWII, Korea and vietnam as well as great stories about growing up during the depression etc....so we have now started recording all of them we keep him talking for hours a day which is very cool.

[DrGerry]

In the future you will love this recordings. An you will remember him with a smile

[Unspeakable Horror]

Originally posted by Snotty
This community brings together people in a way I didnt know possible.

True
I hope he gets better Tiamat

[Tiamat]

It's 8:44 pm and we are going to leave about 3 this morning. Pray for me that I don't kill my children. Three children and a grandbaby in the car.......lord I'll be insane by the end of the trip.

Hopefully things will be better tomorrow. He should be excited to see his grandchildren. So maybe that will lift his spirits.

[Straybow]

Praying for the best, T.

Joke:
Blind man walks into a pub and finds a stool at the bar. As he works on his drink he says, "Hey, wanna hear a blonde joke?" The bar is suddenly quiet.

The bartender comments icily, "Since you're blind we'll cut you some slack. You probably didn't realize this is a rough-neck lesbian bar and half the women here are blondes. I'm one of them."

She continues, "The woman to your right is a police officer, and she's a blonde. The woman to your left is a former wrestler, and she's a blonde, too. Of the four construction workers at the table behind you, two of them are blondes."

She pauses for a moment to let it sink in and says, "Now, do you still want to tell your blonde joke?"

The blind man says, "Hmmm," and thinks for a few seconds. "No, not if I have to explain it five times."

[Tiamat]

Nice! Thanks I'll tell him that one. His favorite grandaughter is a toe headed blonde She has a big history of well....to be kind and I'm being very kind... being a klutz! True story...we were in the grocery store and I was pushing the cart. Ashely is on the side of the cart Morgan was riding in it and there's Sarah walking behind me and we're all talking then suddenly Sarah quits talking and she's down **Spalt!!**face flat in the middle of the grocery store ilse because she had triped. She tripped over her own shoe.

Yes that little also pretty much describes her personality. She's never met a stranger.

So the trip. Well there was insanity on the way up but for some reason alot of bonding on the way home. One of the movies we love to watch is Too Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything Julie Newmar. There's a sceen in it where a certain song comes on and they characters sigh together and do this little dance to the song. Well it came on the radio and all of us started laughing and immediately went into the dance and were singing. Here's this car full of girls singing and dancing (with our hands) going down the highway. Then the beach boys came on and a few others and it was really fun to just be silly and sing and have a good time. Then the last 1 1/2 hour we stoped and for some reason never turned the radio back on and just talked all the rest of the way home. Maybe my girls are growing up. They only nearly got into a fist fight one time this time. Belive me that's an accomplishment with these three.

We got Dad's therapist switched because the one that was working with him spent most of the 45 minutes of therapy talking about girls and football. His new one started today and it's like the difference between night and day. He had a doctor's appoint with his urologist because they've found a kidney stone on top of an already failing one but he's entirely to weak physically still and loosing a week of good therapy hasn't helped. He came back today from his appointment so dejected. I told him we had a good therapist now and he would just have to work a bit harder to catch up but that he would in no time and soon would be out of there.

So if we can get him motivated and he seems to be excited about it and if Steve can still keep him talking and recording stuff then I feel he should be able to stay positive. He did have a recent conversation with my step mother about how sick he really was. The line we've taken is we don't really get specific about levels etc. since he's already in a state of confussion most of the time why add to it but if he asks a direct question we tell him exactly what he asks about. We felt like when he was ready he would asked and he has. He knows what he's up against hopefully he will continue and will be home for Christmas.

This Friday is the 25th aniversary of my Mother's death and frankly I don't think I can take two on the same day or same week. Yeah......I'd be straight jacket material then. Yup. Here I am over here pick me.

**whistles Dr. Demento's There Coming To Take Me Away**

[-Jrabbit]

Glad to read that you and the girls made the trip safely.

The artist listing for "They're Coming To Take Me Away" is Napoleon XIV -- I've got the single somewhere.

While I don't know who the Napoleon character is, I never heard him identified as Dr Demento. Demento did make the track famous on his radio show.

Hang in there, Tia.

[Barinthus]

Hi, Tia.

As always I'm hoping and wishing for the best for your father and your family along with you, of course.

I saw this old joke and thought it could be something that you can share. If it isn't, tell me to drop it.

A cabbie picks up a Nun. She gets into the cab, and the cab driver won't stop staring at her.

She asks him why he is staring.

He replies: "I have a question to ask you, but I don't want to offend you".

She answers, " My son, you cannot offend me. When you're as old as I am and have been a nun as long as I have, you get a chance to see and hear just about everything. I'm sure that there's nothing you could say or ask that I would find offensive."

"Well, I've always had a fantasy to have a nun kiss me."

She responds, "Well, let's see what we can do about that:
#1, you have to be single and
#2, you must be Catholic."

The cab driver is very excited and says, "! Yes, I'm single and Catholic!"

"OK" the nun says. "Pull into the next alley."

The nun fulfills his fantasy with a kiss that would make a hooker blush.

But when they get back on the road, the cab driver starts crying.

"My dear child," said the nun, why are you crying?"

"Forgive me but I've sinned. I lied I must confess, I'm married and I'm Jewish."

The nun says, "That's OK, my name is Kevin and I'm going to a Halloween party."