The simple things of life...

This will probably be short. Just a note to let everyone know that things are going well. Hospice is changing things a bit, in an effort to simplify the routes that the CNAs (Certified Nursing Assistants) travel to take care of the many different Hospice patients. Tammy Rutledge, our CNA, has been switched to another area and we are heart broken. Melissa will take her place and Melissa is a wonderful young woman, but we just love Tammy so much and we feel like she is ours. Papa told her we were going to put Melissa through her paces...but I told him we could not do that. Melissa nor Tammy had any say so in the decision. I can understand the need to make the routes as simple as possible so that the CNAs don't criss-cross the parts of three counties that Hospice serves. So I think we will keep a stiff upper lip and hope to see Tammy every now and then. Of course, the CNA's job here at the Biddles' is less complicated than it was. Kenny is so much better and is physically able to do a lot for himself so the bathing can now be done in the bathroom rather than the bed. Changing from the taped diapers to the "pull ups" made a huge difference in his attitude. He told me the other day that he would never take for granted such a simple thing as going to the toilet (latrine or urinal, he calls it.)
And isn't that true? Don't we often take for granted the little things? I know I do.

This week has been a good one for all of us. I have had some help from Larry, Courtney and Jessie so that I could get out a bit. Yesterday, Margaret -my baby sister- and I went to Charleston to take my car to be serviced. We were gone most of the day and I felt like a bird loosed from a cage. What a great time we had, both of us: Margaret resting and relaxing after the "wedding-a-thon" last week and I just getting out for a day. Tonight Jessie and her family (minus Chad, who is in California cutting his album with his band) came over and spent the evening with Papa so that Larry and I could go over to Litchfield for a get-together. When Jessie is here, Kenny has her almost undivided attention. She loves her granddaddy and he loves her. She and Courtney both spoil him rotten. But we all agree that he is deserving of all the spoiling we can do.

Tonight while we were out, we went by our place in Murrells Inlet. How I miss it! We are trying to figure out how we can make it a bit more "handicap friendly". I think it will mean removing some of the furniture. But we both agree that it would be great for him to be able to go over and spend some time on the porch watching the tide come in. The red-wing blackbirds, along with the blue jays and the swallows should be soon hatching their babies and it will be wonderfully noisy, especially early in the morning. Please pray that we will be able to accomplish getting Kenny over there for a week or so.

Thanks so much to all of you for your encouragement. We truly appreciate your support and love.