May Sundays with Midgie and Church

Yesterday was the 4th Sunday in the month of May. I know this as I am ushering this month and have to be at Church early to greet and seat. If you have not done this, you need to do this part of service just a time to two to realize things are not just automatic, but take planning and execution on an exact timetable.

My mom is called Midgie. Where did Midgie come from and why do I still on occasion call her Midgie instead of mom or mother? She was the second oldest of 7 children and the story goes her younger siblings could not say Mildred and it came out Midgie. I grew up with her younger brother Jim and sister Bobbie and they called her Midgie, so there I am calling my mom, Midgie!

Mother has dimensia but has not been diagnosed with Alzeimers fortunately. It is sad though, her now not remembering all those special times in our lives together growing up. She remembers selective things and this has become only the things she is confident repeating to anyone who ask her about herself. Fortunately she remembers all her family and her picture albums help remind her daily of where she fits into the scheme of things. But her career, her working 31 years for my company, are all apparently lost.

When caring for someone like my mom, you have to be open minded and cherish what she does remember and who she is today and be glad we still have her with us. She was 90 her last birthday and really is doing well for someone at this age. She is fun to be with and enjoys visitors and rides in the car and of course, her beauty shop and friends. But she does not initiate conversation like she used to but they all now understand.

Sunday is ushering and doing the SS and Church for sure each Sunday this month. I have to leave SS early, sometimes before the lesson is over, so I sit near one of the doors so I can ease out without disturbing the class. Yesterday Dr. Holt and I both had to leave about 10:40am to make sure we had greeters in the nathex of the church and bulletins in each hand. Rita Chandler is head usher this month and I was recruited by her as she knows I don't tell her no.

May is a special month with no only communion but the children's Sabbath where the children fill in with us as ushers and with other parts of the service. It still amazes me the things these young ones will do that would scare me to death at there age. I am proud of these moms and dads that have instilled that much confidence in them.

This month means staying late after the service is over and neating up the sanctuary and gathering up all the bulletins and notes and paper left behind by the kids. We also have an attendance pad in each pew, and these pages have to be collected and placed in the secretary's office. We also take up the offering and this is put in a deposit bag and locked in the office. The church then, if no other activity is going on, has to be locked up and secured and the security system turned on. It is terrible for a church to have a security system and we waited until someone broke in and stole several TV's and VCRS. We were just thankful they did not vandalize the church or take some sterling silver vestments that have great meaning to us as Christians. We were lucky.

I mix in my visits to my mom, sometimes going before SS and fixing her breakfast and get to SS by 10:00am. Then back with mom after church and pay bills and caregivers and visit with her until maybe 2:00 or 2:30pm. So you see Sunday is a full day and I don't generally get back home until 3:30 or so. That is under the best conditions.

But my life is great. I manage mom's care and keep a semblance of a normal live working around mom's needs. I have a wonderful wife Karen, now married to this wonderful lady for 14 years. I could not do any of this without her support! Saint John was in prison and somewhere in his writings he tells us, "be happy where you are!" So many of us spend time and money looking for happiness and fail to look around them for the people who love them and they are where God wants them at this time. Be Happy!