Flovent is a corticosteroid often used for asthma, it is an inhaler, but
instead Dr. Manfredi is using it to be swallowed. I spray it into her mouth
and she swallows her own spit with
the medication, and it coats her esophagus. We had been using it back
in December when she stayed open for a month, and then I stopped using
it in January and she closed down again. We started using it again and
she has stayed open again. We strongly suspect the Flovent is a big
part of the reason.
This morning my family in Oregon will gather
to honor to honor the life of my beloved maternal grandmother. I am in
a hospital in Boston with my daughter where she is recovering from
surgery and pneumonia. Not being in Oregon today really stinks, and
although everyone has been so kind about this frustrating necessity, I
needed to contribute something to honor her memory. Thank you to my friends
in Utah for helping me earlier this week to put together recordings of my
singing some music in her memory. I needed to write something too.
Grandma, please forgive me for all those thank you notes that I meant
to write that never got sent over the years, and accept the following
words as an imperfect expression of my deep gratitude for all you've
given me.
I have so many happy memories of Grandma C. When I was growing up, we lived so close by that our family was able to visit with them very often. She has always been a very big part of my life. After I moved away from home and married, we had to learn to be content with telephone calls and cards in place of the frequent visits we both loved.
Some people are too young to remember the days when long distance telephone calls cost a quarter per minute or more. Although those times are long past, whenever we'd call her on the telephone, after we'd talked for a while we always knew it was time to close the conversation when she'd say "Well, this is costing you a bundle..."
She and Grandpa prayed for each family member by name every night. This was no small feat, especially when you consider that those names included some linguistic acrobatics with the combinations of "James, Jorden, JJ, Jim, Justin, and Julia, then Aaron, Aiden, Gideon, Eden, Audrey, Barbra and Bob, Pam and Tammie, Ron and Ranee, Susie and Sharon, and last but not least, baby Luke."
Grandma and Grandpa have always been very supportive of our life events, and attended countless sport games, artistic performances and academic events. Although travelling became difficult in recent years, she also attended as much as she could the events in the great grandchildren's lives over the past 20 years after we all had moved to other states, travelling multiple times to Utah, California, Arizona and the great state of Seattle.
When Bobby and I were little, we were always very excited to get to stay overnight at Grandma's house. She or Grandpa always took us to the grocery store and let us choose whatever sugary breakfast cereal we wanted; I distinctly remember Cookie Crisp being our favorite breakfast of champions. In the morning when we woke, like magic we would find a banana waiting for us on the shelf at the head of the bed, to enjoy while we watched morning cartoons before breakfast.
When I was about six years old, my beloved teddy bear finally lost his little pasted-on felt mouth, and during one visit I asked Grandma to help me make him a new one. She lovingly worked for a long time before showing me her hard work on a carefully embroidered V-shaped mouth in red thread. But in my young mind I had a very fixed idea of what that mouth should look like, and when I explained that all I really wanted was a certain shape cut out of felt and glued onto Teddy's face, she took it like a champ and bit back her frustration, took out those stitches and humored her stubborn little granddaughter. Ohhhhh, Grandma. Thank you for that.
She showed me how to make a snapdragon blossom talk by squeezing its cheeks. "Bum, ba bum bum bumm..."
She and Grandpa let us graze on the juicy sugar snap peas and sun-warmed raspberries in their large beautiful garden. I still remember that every time I eat raspberries and pea pods.
She showed me how to take meticulous care of a home. That's a skill I'm still working on.
She used to say "You'd better not pout, or a little birdie is going to come perch on your lip." I remember when we really worried that might actually happen.
She taught me to finish what's on my plate, and never waste food. She taught me to "eat it up, use it all, wear it out, and make it do". She taught us that for a long healthy life, we ought to eat less salt and fat, and that a good book and a hot cup of tea go great together.
Grandma and I are both worriers. She helped me, and I tried to help her, remember to, as they say, "let go and let God."
She patiently counseled me through broken hearts and the uncertainties and pride of my teenage years. She always reminded me that the Lord knew what he was doing, and that if things didn't work out the way I had planned, he had a better plan waiting for me. She always taught me to put my trust in Him, and to let him guide my life. She always encouraged and supported my personal walk with God.
She sent cards for each of us and our children on every single birthday, AND on virtually every holiday in between--- Valentine's, Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, St Patrick's Day, Arbor Day.... ok not really Arbor Day, but at other times just because. All of her cards had a few loving words scrawled in her beautiful, neat cursive handwriting. She telephoned on our birthdays and each of the children's. I grew to look forward so much to those frequent reminders of her constant and enduring deep love for our family. Recently I visited her home and saw her big boxes full of blank cards sitting on the desk, and it made me smile. I hope some day I can be half that successful at remembering the birthdays of all my descendents.
Grandma and Grandpa kept a beautiful lush green yard at their home in Vancouver, Washington. She and I took many walks through her yard and enjoyed their beautiful flowers and airy back porch. I loved our walks together. I love that now she can walk with me whenever I need her most, just as I felt her beside me during my baby's surgery on Friday.
The morning that Grandma passed away, I was listening to some beautiful music and the following words seemed a fitting summary of the things she taught me:
"Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, how they grow.
Consider the birds in the sky, how they fly, how they fly.
He clothes the lilies of the field, he feeds the lambs of his fold,
And he will heal those who trust him, and make their hearts as gold."
Thank you Grandma, for your example of trusting the Lord and always putting him first. I am so happy for you to be healed from pain and worry, happy that you are now free to let your heart of gold shine brighter than ever, and to travel to our sides to continue to support us with your love and encouragement. We will see each other again some day, and until then, you will continue to be a part of everything I do.
love, Susie
I have so many happy memories of Grandma C. When I was growing up, we lived so close by that our family was able to visit with them very often. She has always been a very big part of my life. After I moved away from home and married, we had to learn to be content with telephone calls and cards in place of the frequent visits we both loved.
Some people are too young to remember the days when long distance telephone calls cost a quarter per minute or more. Although those times are long past, whenever we'd call her on the telephone, after we'd talked for a while we always knew it was time to close the conversation when she'd say "Well, this is costing you a bundle..."
She and Grandpa prayed for each family member by name every night. This was no small feat, especially when you consider that those names included some linguistic acrobatics with the combinations of "James, Jorden, JJ, Jim, Justin, and Julia, then Aaron, Aiden, Gideon, Eden, Audrey, Barbra and Bob, Pam and Tammie, Ron and Ranee, Susie and Sharon, and last but not least, baby Luke."
Grandma and Grandpa have always been very supportive of our life events, and attended countless sport games, artistic performances and academic events. Although travelling became difficult in recent years, she also attended as much as she could the events in the great grandchildren's lives over the past 20 years after we all had moved to other states, travelling multiple times to Utah, California, Arizona and the great state of Seattle.
When Bobby and I were little, we were always very excited to get to stay overnight at Grandma's house. She or Grandpa always took us to the grocery store and let us choose whatever sugary breakfast cereal we wanted; I distinctly remember Cookie Crisp being our favorite breakfast of champions. In the morning when we woke, like magic we would find a banana waiting for us on the shelf at the head of the bed, to enjoy while we watched morning cartoons before breakfast.
When I was about six years old, my beloved teddy bear finally lost his little pasted-on felt mouth, and during one visit I asked Grandma to help me make him a new one. She lovingly worked for a long time before showing me her hard work on a carefully embroidered V-shaped mouth in red thread. But in my young mind I had a very fixed idea of what that mouth should look like, and when I explained that all I really wanted was a certain shape cut out of felt and glued onto Teddy's face, she took it like a champ and bit back her frustration, took out those stitches and humored her stubborn little granddaughter. Ohhhhh, Grandma. Thank you for that.
She showed me how to make a snapdragon blossom talk by squeezing its cheeks. "Bum, ba bum bum bumm..."
She and Grandpa let us graze on the juicy sugar snap peas and sun-warmed raspberries in their large beautiful garden. I still remember that every time I eat raspberries and pea pods.
She showed me how to take meticulous care of a home. That's a skill I'm still working on.
She used to say "You'd better not pout, or a little birdie is going to come perch on your lip." I remember when we really worried that might actually happen.
She taught me to finish what's on my plate, and never waste food. She taught me to "eat it up, use it all, wear it out, and make it do". She taught us that for a long healthy life, we ought to eat less salt and fat, and that a good book and a hot cup of tea go great together.
Grandma and I are both worriers. She helped me, and I tried to help her, remember to, as they say, "let go and let God."
She patiently counseled me through broken hearts and the uncertainties and pride of my teenage years. She always reminded me that the Lord knew what he was doing, and that if things didn't work out the way I had planned, he had a better plan waiting for me. She always taught me to put my trust in Him, and to let him guide my life. She always encouraged and supported my personal walk with God.
She sent cards for each of us and our children on every single birthday, AND on virtually every holiday in between--- Valentine's, Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, St Patrick's Day, Arbor Day.... ok not really Arbor Day, but at other times just because. All of her cards had a few loving words scrawled in her beautiful, neat cursive handwriting. She telephoned on our birthdays and each of the children's. I grew to look forward so much to those frequent reminders of her constant and enduring deep love for our family. Recently I visited her home and saw her big boxes full of blank cards sitting on the desk, and it made me smile. I hope some day I can be half that successful at remembering the birthdays of all my descendents.
Grandma and Grandpa kept a beautiful lush green yard at their home in Vancouver, Washington. She and I took many walks through her yard and enjoyed their beautiful flowers and airy back porch. I loved our walks together. I love that now she can walk with me whenever I need her most, just as I felt her beside me during my baby's surgery on Friday.
The morning that Grandma passed away, I was listening to some beautiful music and the following words seemed a fitting summary of the things she taught me:
"Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, how they grow.
Consider the birds in the sky, how they fly, how they fly.
He clothes the lilies of the field, he feeds the lambs of his fold,
And he will heal those who trust him, and make their hearts as gold."
Thank you Grandma, for your example of trusting the Lord and always putting him first. I am so happy for you to be healed from pain and worry, happy that you are now free to let your heart of gold shine brighter than ever, and to travel to our sides to continue to support us with your love and encouragement. We will see each other again some day, and until then, you will continue to be a part of everything I do.
love, Susie
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