Descent into Alzheimer's Disease

Mom fell again yesterday. Once again she was found lying in the floor. She is usually pretty steady on her feet, so I am puzzled and concerned that she would have two falls in a week’s time. This time she has a bruise on her back.

I found a beautiful new outfit for her at the employee’s store today. A flowered top with deep purple slacks. Royal purple. For the queen Mom. *smile*

She was in a great mood today and had lots of hugs and kisses for me. I took her out front to show the receptionist her new outfit and she had to hug on the director a little. She goes right for him whenever she sees him. He is good looking, so I can’t argue with her taste.

I also bought some digital photo paper at the store today and came home and experimented. The pictures are coming out great. I bought this printer a year ago and I am just now getting around to learning the functions. Isn’t that terrible?

In fact, I only know a fraction of the capabilities of most of my software programs. I need to put in some serious time and education myself. After all, it’s fun! I just fill my life up with a routine and get stuck in that rut.

One thing I have planned that is definitely NOT routine is a visit with my friend, Chris, from Phoenix! We went to church together way back when the kids were little and I was still married. We have kept in touch over the years via email. She and her husband have been traveling around and now they’re coming to Virginia. I think we’re going to meet at the D-Day Memorial and see that and have lunch. I am very excited. Chris is the only person I have stayed in touch with from Phoenix. Well, unless you count my ex, who I talk to about once a year.

We’re having a mission conference at my church and we heard an awesome testimony from some Iraqi missionaries.

Even Chris was impressed and we were both happy to be able to hear them speak. Hearing about life in Iraq and all the times the Lord had intervened on their behalf was so encouraging. God is so good and He is very involved in the lives of His children.

I have been praying lately for God to help me do right at work. We have goals we must reach or we’ll be fired. Because of that, the temptation to do wrong is strong. We have some rules that are fuzzy and it’s easy to ‘fudge’ a little bit. I have fallen into this from time to time and I’m very upset about it. I know as a Christian I need to do right.

It will be much better if I get fired for doing right and not meeting the goals than for doing wrong.

I’m very ashamed that my character is so weak that any of this is even an issue for me. With the Lord helping me, it will soon be a non-issue. If I keep my eyes on Him, I know I’ll be okay.

The crazy thing about my job is that it would be so very simple and non-stressful if it was set up differently. If we could just take each call and take care of each person’s needs, it would be fine. But I am in sales and we have to meet our quota of sells. The company routes non-sales calls to us and then punishes us for taking them. So as we take call after call of people needing things done other than placing an order, it endangers our job. All we’re guilty of is answering the phone. Of course this is on our mind as we work and the stress builds and builds with each non-sale call. This causes us to be much more irritated with the customer than we would in normal circumstances. We also have to be on and off each call in a certain amount of time, so it’s easy to be annoyed by folks who are taking a long time. Many of these people are just sweet, lonely, old people who don’t understand why we don’t want to talk to them.

I know I need to relax and just do my job. It’s easy to know that, but living it isn’t happening. I do so desire to be calm and peaceful... showing my coworkers and my customers the fruit of the spirit that the Lord works through His people.

1 Peter 3:15-17 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ. For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.