One Step Forward and Two Back

Dad fell again yesterday. It was the same as the time before where he was left in the bathroom unattended. In previous falls, he has injured his hip - so much so that it's fractured and causes him pain. Now he's hurting in his chest from this fall. The staff there usually takes him out of his room for meals and activities but these injuries have confined him to his bed all day today. That kind of immobility is concerning because (1) it's just not Dad and (2) immobility is what could slow his body down to the point of having other health complications that could ultimately take his life.

We visited Dad tonight just as Susan and Joan were there also. Dad had just choked on a piece of food and Susan was in a panic. Susan pleaded with Dad to cough so that the food could be dislodged and Dad resisted saying that he was fine and that it hurt to cough. The staff helped him clear the food as best they could and then left when they were confident that he was okay. But Susan insisted that he needed to cough more and when he didn't, she left the room in tears.

Alicia was able to catch Susan on her way out of the building to comfort her. Alicia hugged her as Susan expressed her fear of Dad health declining even further - ultimately to death. Through this all, Dad is keeping his optimism (for the most part) that he'll improve but in Susan's view, he keeps taking one step forward and two backwards.

The Best Graduation Ceremony

I'm not much of a fan of the typical graduation ceremony. When there are hundreds of graduates - each with a need for a moment of spotlight, the event seems to seep from the moment into the expanses of space and time. Think spinning clocks and hour glasses spinning into a very slow vortex.

So, Alicia came up with something much, much better for my graduation with my MBA. We invited the family over for a dinner at the house, she laid out a red carpet our of house blankets and prepared a black garbage bag as my gown and a cardboard cutout painted black for my cap (with a yarn tassle) and I walked to the music of pomp and circumstance through my kitchen and then accepted my diploma from my five-year-old boy who read it to me (with help from his mother) before handing it over. Then we ate food and one of the most glorious cakes I've ever eaten.

Absolutely perfect.