Dear Friends & Family,
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| Happy 23rd Anniversary! |
.....It has been hard to see Curt’s physical abilities decline. We were once a team in everything we did! He would keep my car full of gas, wash dishes, shop for groceries, run the kids around; whatever needed to be done, he did it, without hesitation. Back when I was off on Fridays and he was working, I would clean the garage and wash his personal truck, I knew how much he liked a clean truck for the weekends. I loved doing things for him, as much as he loved doing things for me. We never kept score or used these things for bargaining. The tasks we did for each other were out of pure love and nothing else. Since Curt’s decline, the amount of chores and tasks that need to be done sometimes overwhelms me. He does everything he can to make my life easier, but there is only so much he can do. It took time for me to adjust to the fact that from now on, I am in charge of taking the trash out, putting the toothpaste on the toothbrushes, changing the toilet paper roll, replacing light bulbs, cooking, etc. Taking care of Curt’s personal needs is a whole new ballgame and sometimes very time consuming. For a task oriented person like me, his needs were just more things added to my list and chores that needed to get done. Until the other day......
…..since Hospice took over his care a few weeks ago, they are providing all kinds of services. One of the services is the help of a bath nurse who comes to our house two times a week. Although Curt is the most modest and private person I know, he agreed to give it a try. Ilfida is a nice middle aged lady who spends her days bathing people. On her first visit she and Curt had to figure out the logistics of how to manage the routine so I stayed out of their way. After an hour Curt came out squeaky clean, dressed and ready to start his day. I looked forward to her next visit, it was a time consuming task she was taking off my plate. Once again, I left her and Curt alone and got busy with household tasks and some computer work. As I sat at my computer, I could hear Curt and Ilfida laughing and talking. Boy were they having a good time in there. The longer they were in there, the more I realized that my household tasks and chores were not what I wanted to be doing. I wanted to be the person in there talking and laughing with Curt. Curt’s mom arrived to take care of him for the day, Ilfida finished and left and then I said goodbye to Curt and left for work. I spent most of the day crying as I realized that all this time I was feeling like taking care of Curt was a chore instead of a privilege. Now I am honored to be able to show him how much I care by cleaning him and dressing him and getting him ready for the day. It is quality time we get to spend together. Just as Jesus washed his disciples feet out of love and respect, I will do for Curt, now with a new attitude and appreciation of the time we have left together.
We had a great time celebrating our 23rd Anniversary in Lone Pine, California. Our friends Steve-o and Janet joined us and we all had a blast. We laughed a lot as we enjoyed the tiny town and the surrounding areas. It is great that we can still get out and see the sights! Thank you for continuing to pray for Curt and his voice.
Love,
Cindy, Curt, Clarissa, Cayden & Corbin
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| Welcome to Lone Pine! w/ Steve-o & Janet |
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| Curt & Steve-o have been on many motorcycle rides around this area. They have sooooo many stories and memories. Janet & I had fun listening to them reminisce. This is the only bar in town and was our first stop on our weekend trip! |
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| Steve-o found one of his cousins hanging out at the local cafe. |
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| Looking from the Sierra Nevada Mountains toward Lone Pine |
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| Mt. Whitney Portal, elevation 8365 Beautiful waterfalls everywhere! |
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| The Cherry Bomb rides again! |
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| Manzanar - War Relocation Center We toured the Japanese internment camp and learned about how 10,000 Japanese people were sent there and had to stay there for 3 years during WWII. (The snow covered mountains in the background is where we were earlier in the day) |
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| Curt & Steve-o are still kids! |
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| We drove 1 hour to Bishop to the nearest K-Mart. We needed pillows as the hotel pillows were awful. Curt & I picked out Anniversary cards for each other, read them, took a photo and put them back. Saved $9.00! |
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| We went to Pizza Factory (my all time favorite pizza) for our Anniversary Dinner! Curt surprised me with another necklace! He snuck the diamond from our first engagment ring and had it placed in this setting. He is so thoughtful and sweet! He is now banished (by me) from going to the Los Angeles Jewelry Mart. |
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| Clarissa's new job! La Tavolata in Artesia (Cerritos). Go by and check it out. It's a new super yummy italian restaurant! And they have great service - go Clarissa! |
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| Clarissa picked up her cap & gown.....she's so excited! |
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| Clarissa & Emily at Baccalaureate |
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| Clarissa's friends love Curt! |
1 comment:
You guys are so cute!!!
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