Helping is expensive

  Mom needed my help so I obtained a thousand dollars from my retirement account, enough I thought so I wouldn't have to worry about things.  During the two weeks before she left I made four round trips to see her.   In addition to the gas and food I purchased her medicine and spent $54.00 on packing boxes plus picked up a few extra  inexpensive items for her.  After she left I drove to Hickory 5 times in the following two weeks, the last time to retrieve and mail some things she wanted from her home. 
    I had to repair some damage caused my the rescue workers when they broke into her house, fix a hole in her roof, replace her smoke detectors which had to be replaced after she almost set her house ablaze when she fell asleep while frying some burger, and I had some garments dry cleaned for her which I had shipped. 
  I did go to the Pioneer ($35)once and to a Mexican place ($23)   once and I had a mirror replaced I broke ($32) as well as maintenance on  my mower($153) done  but other than those expenses, all my credit card bills were related to me helping Mom.  My bill was for $1016.00.  Of course Mom reimbursed me for $132.00 but I spent $274.00 in cash, much of it for food but some for small items like light bulbs or batteries  or stuff to fix the small hole in the roof.  All told, it cost me close to $800. to help Mom and close up her home. 
   All of the canned goods and the food from the stand alone freezer went to aid a need family, probably about $600 to $800 worth of food, plus I split the remainder of items between two other families (about a $100.00 bucks apiece)
   My younger brother of course has helped too as he drove from Georgia twice to see her, the second time to take her home with him.  He made his annual pilgrimage to Colorado so he hired a private nurse to care for Mom  for the three days he will be gone.
  The joy I receive from having my Mom and the peace I have knowing she is well cared for now more than offset any expenses.  For her, nothing can replace being in her own home but she is well satisfied that she has a place to go where she is cared for with love rather than just as part of a persons job. 
  
 

Standing invitation

It's a rare occasion for me to get to preach at One Way Baptist Church in Randleman but I do get the honor tomorrow night at 7 pm so you are invited.  Of course you are welcome anytime but I would especially love for you to be there tomorrow night. 
  The local paper has invited me to be a quest columnist for the third straight time and I am pleased about that too.  I welcome any opportunity to talk about my God and my savior Jesus Christ. 
 

First Novemeber Post

November has been an eventful month.  In late October I discovered my Mom, 89 and legally blind and almost deaf, had almost burned her house down when she was cooking some hamburger and fell asleep.  I have known for a long time she shouldn't be by herself but she is stubborn and insisted in taking care of herself.  As long as she was sound of mind I let her be.  But when I visited her that day I knew the time had come to seek a different living arrangement for her.   
   I contacted my two brothers and my younger one, who has power of attorney, came from Savanna to assess the situation for himself.  We looked into private care and that was way too expensive and an assistant living facility was out of the question.  Mom just needed someone to monitor her medicine and make sure her clothes were clean and she was feed but the assistant living facility wanted $3500 a month just for a room with another resident plus  additional expenses totaling over $500.00 a month.  One can definitely get better care and facilities  on a year long cruise at less than half the cost. 
   With an quickly aging population there needs to be a better alternative:  maybe a nice ground floor apartment complex with a couple of resident nurses and some nurses aids to look to the peoples needs.  Something like a Holiday Inn with medical care.  I don't think it should cost over $500.00 a month.  Poor people living on Social Security can't afford what these nursing homes want to charge and many deserve  a better end of life living situation. 
   Fortunately for Mom my youngest brother was willing to take her in  and provide the care she needs.  Not every parent is so lucky.
   The last two weeks she was in her own house I drove down to see her most every day to take care of her.  The only day I didn't go was Sundays  and I left early on Wednesdays to make it home for church. 
  After she moved I went back everyday to clean her house and to clean the refrigerator and the freezer.  Several struggling families were blessed to receive food and a few other things to help them meet their families needs.  I saw that some items that belonged to others were given back to them, cleaned and secured her home.  I'll have to go back from time to time to do yard work and other things that might need to be attended to.   The only things I packed up were her collection of dinner bells.  When Mom passes and all the relatives hit the house her bells will be a prime target for those wishing to grab a little something for themselves and it took a lot of tender loving care to wrap and pack her huge collection. 
   Most of her bells were common bells but there are quite a few that fall into the $40.00 and up range making her collection worth several thousand dollars.  Most of her other stuff can be disposed of by an estate sale but if and when Mom can come back home (this is where she wants to be during her last days) I want things as much like things were when she lived here. 
   The saddest part of the whole affair is I have been her caregiver for the last sixteen years and she left on my birthday.  Having her go was harder than I thought it would be,