Living With Scleroderma With a Smile

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Wednesday, December 30, 2009
























Last Saturday we had a fun time visiting with Ken's sister and brother-in-law (Jeanne and Les) and also his cousin Rebecca and Darryl. Rebecca is the daughter of Rufus Yount who is Wanda's brother,
I love this time of year because we have so many special moments with family! New Year's Day we will be getting together at our home with all of Ken's brothers and sisters and their spouses!!! It's been quite a while since we were ALL at the same place at the same time!!!

Mom is home now and slowly recuperating....Linda was there for a couple of days and I will be visiting Wednesday afternoon. We are very thankful for the care she is getting and the home health nurses that visit!

Monday, December 28, 2009

Update on Lois

Mom is home from the hospital. She had a procedure done on Sunday night to drain about 1 liter of fluid from her lung. She is pretty exhausted from the whole ordeal.
My sister Linda is there helping out....I am so thankful she could be there!!!!

Evidently when Mom had chemotherapy and radiation it caused scarring in the lungs.
This....and complications of congestive heart failure are linked to the lungs being compromised.

Currently she is on oxygen to help her breathe...and she has visiting nurses and physical therapists who come to their house. Dad does as much as he can to help, and they have
many friends who stop over with meals.

A card or short phone call is always appreciated!

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Onekama on Christmas Day







Christmas Day we went to Onekama to spend time with my folks and my sister Linda and her family. It was a precious visit....kind of quiet...and very enjoyable.

We had a great dinner that was prepared Dad and Mom's very good friend Donna (Erickson) Schimke. As always...we had plenty to eat....and had lots of yummy desserts. We had fun watching Dad open their new coffee maker! Their old coffee maker used to take over an hour!!!!!LOL....so they really appreciated the new one!!! Fast coffee!!! Woo Hoo~!
Sunday was not so good of a day.....Mom ended up having to go to the hospital because of difficulty breathing. Once again she is having problems with fluid in her lungs. This is associated with congestive heart failure.....and hopefully her doctor will be able to resolve the issue. Tonight (Sunday) she had a procedure done to drain the fluid...around 1 liter...from her lung. She is resting comfortably now but they did leave a drain in this time to "just make sure".
Mom is using oxygen at the present time to assist her breathing....it has proven to be helpful.
My sister Linda was able to be with our parents today and was at the hospital in time to be there for Mom's procedure. I am so grateful for that! We will go up Monday if needed....
Linda will call with an update in the morning....so I'll post more later.
Tonight I wrestle with changes in life......the frailty of life......getting older....declining health...
I have a hard time watching a strong woman like our Mom struggle with these turn of events....the compression fractures....her breathing....the fluid build up...
Our Dad is completely by her side through it all!!! They are inseparable.....He even insisted on taking her to the hospital this morning to make sure she got there okay!! Now we weren't so sure if that was such a good idea or not.....but today the roads were fine. I suppose it's hard to tell an 86 year old man when to and when not to drive!!!
Thank you once again for your love and prayers on behalf of our family.....
Love to you all....

Friday, December 25, 2009

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Happy Second Birthday to Kirsten and Rachelle!!!




Christmas Eve two years ago.....two beautiful girls were born to Kurt and Heidi!!
Today they celebrate their second birthday.....and oh how they've grown!




Walking, Running, Talking, Humming

Happy in every way~~~~

Laughing, climbing, sometimes whining,

Always ready to play.





In two short years they've learned alot

they bring us so much joy

at two years old they pick up their clothes

and put away their toys:)





The blessing they have been to us

was there right from the start

We pray this year's a special one

we love you with all of our hearts!!

Happy Christmas Eve Birthdays

to Kirsten Lynn and Rachelle Ann!!!!

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Christmas Day is Coming:)






Our precious Grandchildren......Ages 1 to 6


We had a wonderful time last Saturday in Jenison as we celebrated Christmas with our immediate family, The day was filled with laughter, giggles, and the joyful anticipation as the children opened their gifts!!



We aren't the typical family when it comes to gift giving...a couple of years ago we all decided that we would gift the children at Christmas...and simply enjoy the fellowship of each other without all of the "buying" pressures....and $spending that comes along with it. There are 15 of us now....and we all enjoy the basics of life....a roof over our heads...clothes on our back...and food to eat. Our joy is found in being together...knowing that we are family...and that we can count on each other in the best of times and the worst of times.



I probably took over 100 pictures on Saturday...but have only added a few today. I decided to share a life experience instead.....the story you'll find at the end of this post.



We pray that you are your family will celebrate this Christmas "stress free"! That you enjoy and appreciate the "simple gifts" of life....that you make wonderful memories together!!



Don't let a day go by that you don't make an effort to make a difference in some one's life!!!! Don't miss the opportunity to be a blessing to those who surround you!





Merry Christmas!!







Mom and sons...(sorry Joel was a little "Scrooge")



Kurt, me, Jason


Emily, me, Heidi




Father and sons.......Jason is imitating Joel's pouty lip!!





Something to think about.....




On Monday, December 21st....just four days before Christmas I visited Cadillac Jr. High School where I shared the experiences of our trip to Washington with students from two Civics classes.


As I entered the first class....I had this calm feeling as if I had done this a hundred times.


The classroom teacher was in the room and the students were making their way through the door and to their assigned seats.




I studied each face as they entered the room and watched them interact with each other as they prepared for class. Some were quiet and reserved, others were loud and rowdy, and a handful of them came up and greeted me.




One particular young man however caught my attention as he settled into his seat, slipped his hand below his desk and secretly (or so he thought) began texting with his cell phone. Now I know from experience that cell phones are not to be used in class...and during my years as an educator I became very good at spotting them....no matter how "sneaky" the user was.




I quietly took a seat while the teacher took attendance and had students hand in their assignments from the day before. The young man seemed oblivious to what she was saying..continued his "secret" texting until she began her introduction of the "Guest Speaker" for the day....which was yours truly. As soon as I was introduced the young man walked over to his teacher asking for permission to leave the room for a moment, I suppose to get a drink of water or use the bathroom.




Instinctively I thought to myself, "he is looking for a way out and he has no interest in hearing what this guest speaker has to say". Curiously I watched as he left the room, smiled at the students, thanked the teacher for the introduction, and happily began to share my story.




The students were so attentive and seemed to hang on my every word. I don't know if it was because I had anything profound to say....rather I think it was my hard skin and contracted fingers....and the fact that I had an unusual disease that perked their curiosity. Lots of good questions were asked....to which I hoped I had an equally appropriate answer! The time was going by quickly.......in fact to my amazement, I realized that 25 minutes had passed by before our young man returned from his "out of class" adventure.




He looked a little agitated, as if he were waiting a response from his teacher....or maybe even from me?! I glanced his way....welcomed him back....and said that I was disappointed he missed the first part of my presentation. As he slumped into his chair, his teacher "matter of factly" said to him that she was going to mark him absent and that he should have not left the room for 25 minutes! Hoo boy.....upon hearing those words.....up he stood....backpack in hand...announcing that he could care less....and that he was "out of here"! There were a few expletives along the way....but I'll spare you the details.




Now spending 30+ years in teaching....this scene was not a shock to me...and I was able to continue on with the class with barely a bump in the road. But.....this young man......I could not forget! I gave my final comments, thanked the teacher and the class for the chance to share my story, and made my way down to the main office where I had parked my car.




As I entered the office....lo and behold....there sat the young man who just moments before had put on quite a scene. I decided I needed some closure to this incident so I made my way over to the row of seats where he was....and plopped down right next to him!! I think that was somewhat of a surprise to him, thinking maybe I was a little intimidated by him, but he doesn't know me very well:) I looked him right in the eyes and said...."I'm sorry you didn't get to hear me speak today! I think you would have found it very interesting if you weren't so worried about texting your friends!" He studied my face for just a moment....maybe in disbelief that I approached him after his "exit"......and in a very quiet voice said...."I'm sorry....". At which point I said....I accept your apology...and I hope that next time you are in that situation....you make a better choice....because people like me have something to offer students like you!





The young man smiled back at me and appeared to be relieved. I stood to leave....turned to him and said to him "Now can you help me zip up this jacket?"




This Christmas....who are the young people in your life that you can be there for? Take the opportunity to share your joy with them.......be a listening ear......be there to zip up a jacket!!! You just may help change an attitude or maybe a heart:)


Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Taking Care of Grandkids




















Kurt and Heidi brought their kids up to Cadillac last Friday afternoon for a weekend with Grandma and Grandpa. How BRAVE we were to take four kids under the age of 5 for two nights!!!! Just kidding....it was actually very easy! The great part is that they are used to a schedule and daily structure:) That made meals, nap time, and bed time pretty simple for us 50+ year olds!!!

The unstructured moments I discovered are "diaper changing" times!!! This at time became very comical to me!!! While one twin said"Ucky....Bama"....I quickly whisked her off to change the messy diaper....at which time the three year old said..."Bama...I have to go ucky on the toilet". "Just a minute"....I would say.....while fumbling my way around a onsie with my contracted fingers...."Grandma will be right there!!!"....smile...velcro the diaper...set a twin down....turn to her and say,..."Grandma will be right back!!!".....go in....wipe the three year old....praise him for a job well done.....just to exit the bathroom and have the second twin pointing to her backside saying "Bama....ucky!!" I just stood there...laughing to myself....and started all over again!! Realizing why parents are Younger and Grandparents are Older!!! And....I wouldn't have missed it for the world:)
We had a wonderful weekend....had a lovely lunch prepared by Ken when Kurt and Heidi arrived....visited for awhile....said our goodbyes...and took a nap!!

Monday, December 7, 2009

"Toy Town" in Cadillac....my favorite place for children;s toys!!!

http://www.toytowncadillac.com/


Looking for gift ideas for the children in your life?? Look no further!
I just love shopping at "Toy Town" in Cadillac!!! I have decided to share links to a few of the toys we have purchased for our home and as gifts! These are "grandma" tested and approved suggestions:) There are hundreds more toys in the store.,..but I thought I would share a few of my favorites!

LOL....these were NOT all bought this year!!! Rather....over time:)

http://stores.intuitwebsites.com/JVandrie/-strse-156/Farm-Cube-Puzzle/Detail.bok
http://stores.intuitwebsites.com/JVandrie/-strse-32/Ice-Cream-Parlor/Detail.bok
http://stores.intuitwebsites.com/JVandrie/-strse-145/Insects-Chunky/Detail.bok
http://stores.intuitwebsites.com/JVandrie/-strse-358/Construction-Worker/Detail.bok
-- http://stores.intuitwebsites.com/JVandrie/-strse-156/Farm-Cube-Puzzle/Detail.bok
http://stores.intuitwebsites.com/JVandrie/-strse-168/Giant-Fire-Truck-Floor/Detail.bok
http://stores.intuitwebsites.com/JVandrie/-strse-162/Playful-Pets-Jigsaw/Detail.bok
http://stores.intuitwebsites.com/JVandrie/-strse-173/Tow-Truck-Game-Magnetic/Detail.bok
http://stores.intuitwebsites.com/JVandrie/-strse-363/Band-in-a-Box/Detail.bok
http://stores.intuitwebsites.com/JVandrie/-strse-148/Birthday-Party--dsh-Wooden-Food/Detail.bok
http://stores.intuitwebsites.com/JVandrie/-strse-380/Latches-Board/Detail.bok
http://stores.intuitwebsites.com/JVandrie/-strse-181/Sm-Peg-Farm/Detail.bok
http://stores.intuitwebsites.com/JVandrie/-strse-184/Farm-Peek-dsh-A-dsh-Boo-Peg-Puzzle/Detail.bok
http://stores.intuitwebsites.com/JVandrie/-strse-359/Veterinarian/Detail.bok

http://stores.intuitwebsites.com/JVandrie/-strse-191/Stop-Sign-Jumbo-Knob/Detail.bok

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Thanksgiving Memories

Sorry it has taken so long to post the pictures from our wonderful Thanksgiving week! What a blessing it was to have four days in a row of visiting with family and friends! We enjoyed Thanksgiving day with Emily's side of the family (thanks for the invite!!)....on Friday we traveled to Jenison to spend time with Kurt and Heidi and kids....Saturday we headed to Onekama, where Emily and Ken prepared a wonderful meal for my parents....and Sunday afternoon we went to Mesick where we topped it all off with a visit with Ken's sister and brothers. Pat and Dave were in Florida......however...we are looking forward to seeing them over Christmas!

This first week in December has flown by! Sometimes I feel that we are busier now than we were when I was working! I kind of dread the cold weather coming though......tough on scleroderma:(

The next few weeks will be exciting as we prepare for Christmas. On Saturday evening we had a Christmas Dinner for the ladies at Rollins Christian Fellowship. I was asked top bring the devotions for the evening...and I entitled it "The Ultimate Gift". I am so excited that God still chooses to use me for His service....and that He gives me strength when I need it.

Emily's side of the family
celebrated on Thanksgiving day.













Getting the decorations up



Fun in Grand Rapids








A Beautiful Day in Onekama






Special times in Mesick