Transitions

Yesterday Dave's 93-year-old Mom moved to a nursing home, a house actually, that accommodates five residents. Mom has lived with Dave's oldest brother and his wife for more than four years now, and her physical needs have continued to increase. So Mom, an avid New York Yankees' fan, watched her large flat screen TV, the one with the extended baseball package that allows her to watch hundreds of baseball games, move to her new room.


Transitions happen throughout our lives here "under the sun," as Solomon wrote. I took two pictures from the back porch about ten days apart. Here nature mirrors the rapid transition from the glorious colors of autumn to the bare trees that await the first snows.  the family knew this time of change for Mom would come, so we have prayed for Mom's transition to her new surroundings. After having visited two other larger facilities earlier this year, we thought we'd found a good placement, but when our sister-in-law and niece found this house, the size seemed to fit Mom better than any other facility. With hearing and vision loss that couple with a shy, private personality, Mom's needs just don't center around bingo, dancing, and other group activities. Still, change affects us all --Mom and her family. Thankfully, the Houston Wolfes live only minutes from Mom and will visit frequently.The five-year-old twin great granddaughters will liven up Mom's new residence on their after-school visits.

I thought about Ecclesiastes where the Preacher reminds us that all transitions, including the trying of everything -- meaningful work, wisdom, folly, pleasures, wine, women, money --all represent a chasing after the wind. Only in the final chapter does the author give a meaning to life. "Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man." Our family finds comfort in Mom's life and new surroundings; we also pray she can process this latest transition. She did "remember [her] Creator in the days of [her] youth"; I simply want to know more of the faith and wisdom that have sustained her over the years. That way I can move more graciously through the transitions God has planned for my life.