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From Ken on Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Norma gets up raring to go. It’s a work day, right?! As our good friends Richard and Kathie Caudle of Rock‘n Learn just wrote us, “A few pictures are worth a thousand words. (Note…I have deleted the bathroom segment). 

Norma is Organizing her Work - “Laundry Basket Filing System” – bigger and better than a brief case! She is preparing to take this to “my” car as hers is still at nephew Jon’s in Joliet for safekeeping since this all started on 2-8-08. She announces boldly that she will be going to the Crest Hill store today. She has people to call and important things to do! Instead of battling with her today, I decide to allow her an opportunity to pursue today’s challenges – after all, what damage can be done? I smile to myself because I know that the only spare car keys she has are for her car…which is safely an hour away at Jon’s and Jen’s home in Joliet. Norma’s keys won’t work in my car.

Norma gleefully placing her cargo into my car. She is radiant and happy. (Now I’m beginning to feel badly that I’ve let this go this far). The “sting” continues –

I snap Norma’s picture as I slide in the passenger side (like the snake I am for doing this to her). As she places her key into the ignition, I’m already thinking what I’m going to tell her. (A quote from our good friend Jim Chesney comes to mind. It goes something like this – “Sorry Honey, life is full of disappointments. This is just one of them!” She turns the key and…Vroooom. HOLY COW! – It starts!!!!! She grins widely…like a Cheshire cat!!!! I’m an idiot!! She found one of my spare keys. I grab the key and turn off the car. She says, “Ken, what are you doing? I have things to do!” I look down, apologize and decide not to use the “Chesneyism” quote. I simply tell her, “Sorry, Hon. You can’t drive yet. Hopefully soon.” I walk back in the house thinking again…yes, I’m an IDIOT! (I’m banking on the short term memory thing. Hopefully she won’t remember this one.)

Niece Ginger arrives at approximately 11:15 a.m. Ginger prepares lunch for us. Norma’s therapy homework from Thursday is to make out a short grocery list and go to the store to pick out everything without assistance. So after lunch, Norma, Ginger and Mom Ireland go to our Jewel on Route 47 to complete their task. While at the Jewel, Norma also picks out two birthday cards for a party we’re going to tomorrow. One is for our nephew Jon and the other is for Jon’s & Jen’s son Sam, who is turning 7. Age wise there is not a lot of difference between the two cards Norma selects. Norma thinks the 40 year old cards are too serious. She’s probably right!

As part of her therapy assignment, after shopping Norma is supposed to cook and prepare the meal. She does very well and also does the dishes too. We are all pleased! Friday we get a good night’s sleep.

Saturday morning, nephew Eric arrives at 7:30 a.m. and stays until noon. I get some time to organize bills and paperwork that have been accumulating for over a month. At noon Norma takes a nap to rest up for the birthday party which will be at 3:00 p.m. Eric heads home to get ready to go to the party as well.

We arrive at the birthday party at approximately 4:00 p.m. Apparently niece Ginger’s and husband Jason’s children, Audrey and Andrew, have read my memo about “life is all about the dance and to dance often.” (Note: No children became totally intoxicated during this photo shoot. However, they were also a little hacked off when I took the bottles away from them). Yes…I’m an idiot! The party was fun. The food and company was great. We were worn out so back home and right to bed. Another good night’s sleep.

We stayed in and unfortunately didn’t make it to church. We watched Joel Osteen and waited for Norma’s Uncle Ben and Aunt Dorothy to show up early for a nice visit. Sunday was a day of rest for us. We picked up Chinese for Sunday dinner and again turned in early.

Ginger arrived at 10:00 a.m. with Dunkin Donuts muffins and, of course, a couple of bags of Dunkin Donuts whole beans so that we can grind our morning coffee. After breakfast, I continue to work on bills and paperwork while Ginger takes Norma to our basement to play video games. Norma finally gets to drive. The video game “Cruis’n” fits the bill. Norma and Ginger have a blast!  After a healthy lunch, Norma takes a four-hour nap. Ginger makes dinner and heads home around 8:00 p.m. We relax and again turn in early.

It’s Norma’s second rehab visit to Marianjoy. Good friend Carolyn Dial, who has volunteered to do some “Tuesdays” arrives at about 9:45 a.m. Norma gets up at around 8:00 a.m. and takes her current usual 2-2 ½ hours to get ready before coming down to join us all at 10:30 a.m. We have coffee and breakfast – more fresh fruit on a stick compliments of our Aurora Fox Valley Chalkboard team members (Thanks to all!)

Carolyn, Norma and I arrive at Marianjoy ahead of schedule. Norma’s sessions go very well. Overall, her therapists are very pleased with her progress. However, they all reconfirm that Norma is to do no driving and no work at her store for quite a while. So please continue to pray for her full recovery. We will return for her third session on Thursday.

We leave Marianjoy at about 4:00 p.m. to head home. Traffic is again good. Sue Chesney is bringing dinner tonight and going to keep Norma and my Mom company while they watch American Idol. Jim Chesney, Dave Justice, Jim Campbell and I are going to DeKalb at Northern Illinois University to watch boy’s high school basketball Elite 8 elimination.

The past few days have been a good run. Norma has gone to bed and so has Mom Ireland. It is garbage night tonight so I take out the last bag of garbage at approximately 11:40 p.m. The sky is clear. The stars are popping. The air is crisp and the night is peaceful. We are fortunate to live in a small wooded subdivision and as I walk down our long paved brick driveway towards our street to drop the last bag, I look to the western sky and the moon is setting low on the horizon. I think to myself, “Gee, the crescent shaped moon is in an unusual and awkward position tonight.” I place the bag down next to one of two brick pillars that borders our driveway and I smile back at the moon. I get a warm and fuzzy feeling all over again – just like that warm blanket feeling I experienced a couple of times while staying in Chicago at U.I.C. Medical Center with Norma. You see the crescent shaped moon was not upright…rather it was lying on its side, and the crescents were curved upward on each end. The moon was smiling at me!!... and I was smiling back! As I turned to go back in, I thought to myself “Wow! God’s got a radiant smile…just like a Cheshire cat.

We pray for God to smile down on all of you too! Pleasant dreams and may they all come true.

Love,

Ken & Norma

kenireland2@aol.com

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Photo of Moon at the left compliments of Adler Planetarium - Photo of Moon at the right compliments of the one and only legendary Ken Ireland