Mom had expressed many times that she wanted to move to Aberdeen to be closer to her family.
And, I had promised her that when she needed to move from 'assisted living care' to 'nursing home care', she would move to Aberdeen. However, it wasn't looking good here. Mom's name was on a waiting list at all four facilities in town, but she wasn't at the top. Plus, one of the facilities would not even consider taking her, because there was a mention of MRSA in her file.
An alternative was to move her back to Devils Lake...
to the Heartland Care Center.
She had live there for three months in 2010
as a rehab patient after a surgery.
And over the years, she had spent countless hours there volunteering
and visiting the elderly.
Consider, the ride in the ambulence would be only 90 minutes, instead of the six hours to move here.
And, we had to think about that mom had made financial arrangements with a funeral home in Devils Lake.
So, despite my promise to mom, we decided she would move to
I made the four hour trip to meet her there. One of the caring nurses had called to let me know that her breathing had slowed and the end was near. When I arrived, I went straight to her room and sat by her side. When the nurses came in to tend to her personal needs, I took a little break. The receptionist asked if I would like to see their new chapel.
When I stepped into the room,
I stopped in my tracks...my heart skipped a beat...
It looked like our home church...
the windows...
the alter furniture was.. from.. our.. home.. church!
Many of you know that our home community has been wiped out because of the rising flood waters of Devils Lake. Emily, Mom and I attended the closing worship services of Zion Lutheran Church in 2011.
When our church building was moved, I wondered what had happened to the stained glass windows.
After all, they were the original windows from our first church, and then incorporated into the design of our new building.
And our beautiful alter furniture was here, too.
Clearly, I had made the right decision.
This was no better place for my mom to
spend her last days here on earth.
Take care,
~Natalie
5 comments:
Sending Hugs. Beautiful church.
Natalie - I have been following your posts on your mom and remembering... thank you for posting and for having the strength to express yourself (I wish I was better at expressing my feelings out loud)~ I have only experienced some of these things by watching my grandparents (which we lived close to) as they aged, entered the nursing home etc. My grandmother was the healthy one (we thought) she fell, broke her hip, had a stroke then entered the nursing home for her final journey to her new home. Your posts give everybody very good reminders - Wills, Power of Attorneys and Healthcare Power of Attorneys are very important and are meant to make it easier for family members (which may not be necessarily true but do help in expressing an individuals need). That is wonderful that the church items ended up where your mom was and what a pleasant surprise for you :) The stained glass is beautiful! I believe our loved ones watch over us from above ~ angels shining like stars!
Thinking of you. So glad you got such a wonderful sign. May your Mom have an easy passing. Kit
How wonderful. Like it was meant to be there for her. Certainly beautiful.
Hugs~Carol
I truly feel you made the right decision ~ such a beautiful place from pieces of the past.
TFS
Prim Blessings
Robin
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