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The Flying Choir Member (reference is to Sally Field's Flying Nun)

During my college years at Pillsbury College in Owatonna, Minnesota, I was in choir. Each spring break we would take a choir tour. One year we traveled out west, another year as far east as Pennsylvania, and every year we had some concerts in the Midwest. It was always an exciting and exhausting time. Each time we arrived at our destination, the choir director and his student assistant would check out the logistics of the church or auditorium where we would perform our concert. Often the choir would enter from both sides at the front of the platform. In my sophomore year of college, I was part of a woman's trio that sang after the first section of our concert. In most places, Jane would exit to her right and Pat and I would exit to our left. Now, in fairness, the student assistant did give us directions that the entire choir would need to exit stage right in this venue. There was only one way to get off the stage and go downstairs to get our bells for the next segment of the conce...
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My Gratitude Journey Entries

August 1 - The happiest memories I have. This is very difficult to pinpoint but the top four memories would be my marriage to Richard Stearns Robinson on June 17, 1978; the births of Rebecca Joy on February 23, 1980, Hollie Elizabeth on March 25, 1982; and lastly, Kelly Lynae on December 2, 1985. I have practiced gratefulness for many years so there are so many other memories I could name, however, one fairly recent memory comes to mind. On March 11, 2025, Rich had a doctor's appointment with Dr. Maxwell at the south clinic. Rich was more engaged in conversation and "sharper" than he had been for many days. " He had been having lots of trouble with eating on his own and he did not like it if I helped him when we were out in public. However, I decided that we both needed a "date" so I took him to his favorite restaurant, Don Jose. The food was good but we especially loved sitting on the screened in patio while enjoying the beautiful view of Lake Jackson. I ...

Valentine's Day with Dementia

Yesterday was Valentine's Day. It was a good day because I actually got some sleep the night before. My life has been in a fog lately because Rich has been "sundowning" which means that he is agitated, experiences hallucinations, and wakes up (if he is indeed even sleeping) all night long. Often he talks aloud, beats out a rhythm on me or our bed in the middle of the night (to a tune only he can hear), gestures wildly, and gets up and wanders around the house. Because of this, I often doze lightly and wake as soon as he moves. He is struggling with using the toilet, eating, brushing his teeth, taking pills, etc. I help him with all of his grooming, dressing, and showering. He thanks me for taking such good care of him and although he sometimes "fights" me when I try to help him, he is usually sweet tempered and grateful. I truly love taking care of him but I am exhausted. I am not typically a good napper anyway but now even when I desperately need a nap, I'm...

Cheryl is Home!

July 2024 Today we celebrated the life of my sister, Cheryl Mae Turbett, with a beautiful service. Although Cheryl had been pronounced "cancer free" her immune system had taken quite a hit. She contracted a UTI and after a week of suffering and two different medications, she had not improved at all. On Monday, June 17, Cheryl finally agreed that she needed to go to the hospital. I was with her that morning and I called Dwight at his office to let him know that he needed to call 9-1-1. Cheryl went into septic shock and her body could not fight off the multiple infections that had invaded her body. She was in the ICU until June 26 when she was moved to Good Shepherd Hospice. The next morning, with her daughter beside her, she stepped onto heaven's shores. She was finally home - free of cancer, pain, infections, and worry!

Idaho Here We Come

August 1, 2024 One week from today we are leaving Florida for two weeks in Idaho. I can't wait to see my girls and their families! I must admit that I am especially anxious to spend time with my youngest grandson, Arlo Valentine Ness. He is changing and growing daily and although I talk to him via FaceTime every week and get lots of pictures and videos of him, it isn't the same as being with him. I can't wait to sing, read, go on walks, and play with him to my heart's content. Arlo is obsessed with his Papa - everytime we talk on the phone, he wants to see his "Papa." Once when we were FaceTiming, Rich was eating a piece of pizza and Arlo often asks me "Papa eating pizza?" when we talk on the phone. He remembers what his Papa was doing!!
It has been a minute since I've blogged and I really miss it. I have a lot on my plate and it is hard to put into words everything that has happened in the past year, so I have avoided it. I realize that I need to express my thoughts and write down how God continues to show up in our lives. We are so grateful for the truth that "He never leaves or forsakes us." In the past year my brother, Gerry, fought cancer and was ultimately called to his heavenly home with Jesus on January 30, 2024. My sister, Cheryl, went through chemo, surgery and now infusions for her ovarian cancer. She is still struggling with the effects of chemo (etc.) but is cancer free and hopefully will soon be gaining her strength back. My sister-in-law, Connie, is here in the Village where we live and the sisters have wonderful fellowship together. Rich struggles with communicating, memory, and doing simple tasks (such as dressing, grooming, eating). He is such a blessing with his sweet and grateful spi...
On March 2 Rich had an 10:00 appointment with his neurologist in Lakeland. We left the house at 7:30 so that we would have plenty of time to get gas and get to the Watson clinic on time even if we encountered heavy traffic. I didn't feel good when I got up and so I decided not to take my morning meds until after our doctor's appointment. I thought that we would go out for breakfast and then I'd take my meds. Meanwhile, I had a very severe case of heartburn. We stopped at WaWa in Sebring before we "hit the road." I bought us a coffee to share but decided that my heart burn was bothering me too much to drink coffee. Instead, I bought myself a bottle of water. By this time, I felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest and I was having trouble breathing. However, we had been waiting many months to see Rich's neurologist and I convinced myself that I would soon feel better. Mind over matter! Unfortunately, I felt worse with each mile that we traveled. Eventual...

Rich's Therapy Cat

At the end of February, our dear friends, Kay and Dennis Monroe, found out how much Rich missed our pets. We left our Cairn Terrier, Ferguson, with Kelly Lynae and our cat, Henrietta, with Hollie in Idaho. Pets are not allowed in the villas in which we live. Kay researched "plush toy therapy pets" and ordered one for Rich. He absolutely loves Stella and she seems very real to him. It is amazing how much comfort and joy this kitty has given to Rich (and me). Thank you, Denny and Kay!

Rich's Wanderings

Kelly Lynae and her daddy enjoying the view at Lake Jackson on her recent visit. This is a blog entry that I started in February. I haven't written a blog post for months. It isn't because there is nothing going on with our continued journey with dementia. It is often overwhelming and exhausting to deal with all that I have to do and writing things down in an organized manner seems too much to tackle. A week ago on Sunday morning, Rich fell going to the bathroom (at 7 a.m.). I was in our bedroom at the time so I didn't see what happened. Rich said that he just slipped on the bathroom floor. However, since he has been quite steady on his feet and there was no water to slip on or crumbled rug to trip over, I thought that there was more to the story. I helped him up and got him over to the couch. I could see that he was exhausted and I made the decision that we would stay home from church to keep an eye on him. He promptly fell asleep and slept until 11:30. After eatin...