It's been a while since a blog has been worked through but yet there has been alot going on.. and not much time to write it out .. I had a weeks vacation and used it to go to MN and see my grandma Lorraine Cook who just turned 85 last week. Decided at the last minute and was able to get a good price on airfare/car ~ who would have thought. pictures will be posted on flickr soon.
I left Saturday March 28th at 6:45am from OC John Wayne to Minneapolis, a bit of a layover before the connection and onto the Omaha airport at 3:30 pm, where I rented a car. I drove quickly to the Worthington Auditorium where my mother in law was waiting for me to meet her for a review show "Gone Country IV" that started at 7:30pm.. My father in law was in Florida and so I was her "surprise date". I wasn't sure that I could make the short time frame between landing and performance time but I made it at 7:15pm! It was a nice show. And than we stopped at the Blue Line truck stop with the four others who had tickets to the performance. So by the time we arrived at my inlaws home it was after 11:30 pm... and I was feeling pretty good for having been up since 2am.
Sunday morning woke up at 8am having laid in one position all night from exhaustion, to find that the electicity was OFF from the phone call of sister in law asking if me if we had any.. I was barely awake and so did discover the answer was no, which in rural america also means no water. But before the city kid realized this connection, I had already brushed my teeth with the water left in the pipes, and so that was it. So church starts at 10:30am and I was sooooo very lucky that "yesterday's hair" and a little hair wax and finger combing looked okay.. But while we were having breakfast and reading the paper at 9:50 suddenly the electicity starting charging through the appliances and I was glad I had 10 minutes to try something with hair dryer/curling iron to the hair.. (so vain) After church all of the Symens family came together meeting at Godfathers pizza in Windom for noon dinner and than to the house for some visiting and celebrating niece Katie's 20th birthday. Char & Jack, and youngest son Jason came from Morgan, and Gales family, and Kim were there for my visit.. which was so nice.
Monday morning I left for Edgerton, where I planned to visit my grandma through Wednesday at the Edgebrook Care Center. I made a run through Leota, to the cemetery and took a picture of the headstone of my grandparents Case and Angeline VanEssen. It was extremely windy and cold and so there was no exploring for any other relative headstones, just back into the car. I arrived at the nursing home just after she returned to her room from noon dinner. She's very quiet and reserved, hears you and has just some basic responses. So I told her about my trip; where I landed, the type of car I rented, the play I saw, how the kids all were, what they were up to, what there plans for the future were and what they were doing to pursue them and than the classic stand by of the weather as it was windy, snowy, sunny in different amounts over the three days.. I read the town newspapers to her, stories from her country magazines, Took her to coffee/cookie time in dining hall, visited with some others in the home I knew. She was very alert on Monday & Wednesday, it was Tuesday that she did alot more sleeping. I was staying Monday night in Edgerton with a 2nd cousin Dean and his wife Ardeth Fransen. Tuesday/Wednesday nights I stayed in Luverne with a cousin Rhonda and her husband Dave Wynia who are always so gracious to do when we are in the area. Wednesday morning we met Uncle Alvin/Aunt Gladys in town for breakfast and that was nice. I spent about 15 hours over the three days at the home with grandma, it's a great care facility in a small town that does a tremendous job in what is a difficult situation.
Wednesday when it came time to say goodbye, I told her that I was going to be leaving and this time for home to CA., which brought tears that I told her were okay and not to hold them in. I assured her that I would stay until she was okay or fell asleep. The smart cookie than seemed to lock her eyes on me as if she stayed awake I wouldn't leave. She settled down , for which I was than wondering how long she could manage to hold out not having slept much during that day. I stayed a little while and than I stood up and kissed her goodbye and she lets out a wail of a cry "don't go".... oh Lord I sat back down and just started praying outloud with her for peace and calm over both of us in the separation, for the life that she had led and the love we both felt for each other, for the caretakers who would be with her daily that she would trust them and that they would be worthy of that trust. That she would always know she was in my heart. She told me "thank you". It was with that I stood up and kissed her cheek, told her I loved her and than had to walk away. As I was crying down the hall, her nurse Maryann DeGroot came out of a room and I asked her to check on her.. Maryann assured me it was harder on me, which is good I'm sure, but for the time she could remember, it would be hard on her. In Gods timing, Greg called me just as I was leaving the building, so that helped to work through some emotions before driving out of town.
By the time I left, I was surely needing a good stiff drink but headed back to the Wynia farm and instead went for a walk to use some adrenaline against the head wind blowing... Rhonda and I did some talking and than we enjoyed a great dinner and some table games over the two nights..
Thursday morning as I was leaving town, I drove out to the Luverne cemetery and took a picture of grandpa Cooks headstone. I than headed back towards Windom, stopping in Worthington's Walmart for a couple bouquets of flowers for Marlys from her son and I.. This has become a regular thing over the years.. When I returned home later that week, I found a dozen red roses from Greg in our room.. he knows what touches my heart and is so good to speak to it..
Gregs dad returned from Florida Thursday afternoon and the local family came for supper at the house that night. Friday morning was a quick packing up and than I left for the Omaha airport after meeting Gale and Patty in town for dinner. It is somewhat odd to drive for hours and to really pass about 100 cars total.. the roads were good, sunshine and 45 degrees, my flights were on time and I arrived home in OC airport at 11:00pm April 3.
The next day they began to receive 9-14 inches of snow in the MN/IA/NE path I would have had to travel and so that was good to hear that I got out of dodge just at the right time.
Saturday the routine began with alarm ringing at 5:30am for a quick shower and off to the two study groups, and home to finish getting ready for a 1pm bridal shower for Steph Hyink in Temecula which is an hour twenty minute drive. Ashley was to be back by 5:30 to leave for her 12 hour shift at hospital, but we got stuck in traffic and she was too late for that. Greg and I went to dinner and than to Valley Christian High for a baseball game of friends son.. Yep, I was ready for bed when we got home but it was sort of "early" by the clock... soooo well it worked out.
That is the week in my life ~
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