Skip to main content

What You Need, When You Need It - The Glorious Table

We ate steak at the fanciest place in town, me and my sister, our husbands, and our parents. Around the table, we joined Mom’s reminiscing. We retold our favorite stories of family vacations and holidays. We revealed some silly childhood secrets. And we listened to Mom’s stories from fifty years she and Dad spent together. One of our favorite stories is of the birthday Mom expected a diamond ring but went home from their swanky dinner with a shiny new set of hot rollers. Whenever Mom tells that story, instead of making fun of Dad for his slow-moving ways, she praises his serious, methodical decision making. She points to it as proof of his dependability.

My mom told stories. I told stories. My sister told stories. Even our husbands had memories to share. We retold some of the stories Dad put on paper in his journal for us. The thing we missed most was Dad’s voice in the storytelling.

Rather than telling the stories himself, he locked eyes on the teller and responded, “By golly, that happened to you too? Isn’t that something?!” He enjoyed his stories told in our voices. Alzheimer’s had robbed him of being able to remember they were his.

(PC: Kathy Merrifield)


My mom is Dad’s main caregiver. She’s been faithfully caring for his soul along with his body. She chose an expensive steak dinner for their golden anniversary celebration because my dad still loves steak. She made a reservation for the six of us early in the evening when the restaurant would be empty and quiet. She called ahead to make the maître d’ and waitstaff aware of my dad’s extra needs. Every detail of the night was geared toward capturing any enjoyment still available to my dad.

Please click over to  The Glorious Table to read the rest of the story and let my mom's story help you trust God's faithfulness for your story.

"You can't be serious, we've been married 50 years?!"


"Well, that's wonderful!"
"Well, that's just wonderful!"



Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Labels:

Comments

  1. JulieJuly 8, 2020 at 3:02 PM

    Such a wonderfully written article! Thank you, Lori.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lori FloridaJuly 9, 2020 at 2:13 PM

      Thanks for reading Julie. Hope you guys are doing well!

      Delete

Post a Comment

I'd love to hear what you think!

Popular posts from this blog

The Fight for Control - Day 3

Preschoolers' bodies contain a power that defies the laws of physics.  Moms of preschoolers know there is definitely something metaphysical going on in their homes.  It's also clear to Moms like me that every now and then, a special child comes along with whom the force is especially strong. I had a cute little 3-year-old boy who often left me slack-jawed and feeling outflanked.  His will was strong and it was aided and abetted by a deft use of words and logic.  Maybe you've encountered a kid like him.....you can recognize them by the iron glint in their eyes and the furrowed brows of their Mommas.  Maybe you've got one living under your own roof. Even though it felt like Trevor and I jockeyed for position forever...but it was really just a chunk of Trev's 3rd year.  Let me tell you, it was one INTENSE year, but it wasn't eternal.  Our toughest head-to-heads seemed to always happen on evenings Scott was at a late meeting and I was flying solo....
12 comments
Read more

A Cup of Cold Water for Thirsty Mommas - Day 1

For the first time in nearly 20 years....I. Don't. Have. A. Preschooler.  Picking out gym shoes and putting a backpack on Ginger has put me in a reflective mood.  It's obvious that she's ready to begin school .....the question is, am I?  The truth is, it's been an awesome run.  I'm incredibly grateful that I have been able to spend these years at home focused on soaking up the first years of my kids' lives.  I have loved being the one who teaches them colors, how to take turns during board games, why it's polite to use a tissue instead of a sleeve and being able to pass on my awesome Thriller dance moves.  It was an intentional choice that Scott and I made, right at the beginning, to order our little world in such a way that I could focus on being a mom. You see, I believed  my  mom.  She told me to listen to what I've heard about women being able to have it all and do it all.  She told me to dream about a career, dream about ...
7 comments
Read more

Where Are You Going So Fast?? - Day 4

I rushed past a friend of mine and her son walking down the sidewalk.  I had Ginger by the hand, pulling.  We had just dropped her siblings off at school and were heading back to the car for the next thing. We hurried, but my friend and her son meandered.  Her son was showing her things he discovered along the way while she followed his lead and walked at his pace. As we passed, us Moms exchanged pleasantries while in the background, my mind wondered how nice it must feel to have time to walk slowly with her son like she was.  We got to the car, I plopped Ginger in her car seat, buckled, ran around to my side, buckled, turned the car on....and met my friend's eyes in the distance again.  She waved while her son crouched on the sidewalk, looking at something. It started to dawn on me, the only deadline I had to meet was one of my own making. I was rushing just to catch myself, and rushing my sweet little girl along with me. I walked through the rest of...
7 comments
Read more