Giving thanks

Random thankful thoughts ~

• sewing/ alterations ~ my miracle job
• finally cooler weather 
• my $200 ankle boots for $5.00!

• gotta love Dillard's employee discount day
• finally found a cassette player that works
• vintage, retro awesomeness for only $5.00

• I am now listening to 100+ cassettes
• loved the one of my daughter as a baby making the sweetest sounds
• with her Daddy singing Jesus Loves Me to her
• listened to that one yesterday, on her 32nd birthday
• I was a mess
• she is the best Mommy to my dear, precious grandson Will
• he's so stinkin' adorable!

Will James Randy

• my husband's miraculous return after taking the van to QT for a Coke
• he had not driven in 3 years... he had found my hidden keys 
• I hate frontotemporal dementia 
• but he's just the sweetest and always happy
• spent an entire day blowing, mowing, sweeping, trimming and racking our backyard
• just the best feeling!
• God's provision... always meeting our every need
• weekend women that call or come over to hear my heart, to process and pray with me
• my new church and my Sat. morning teaching/ equipping class
• forever and ever grateful
• my son just text me a photo of his kids! My grandkids... my heart.

Emolyn ~ Elsie ~ Jonah ~ Nathan

• my neighbor who gets my husband in a cab each morning
• so I can work 8 hour days
• my dependency on God rather than others
• but letting God love me through others
• trusting God and others
• so hard but so important on this faith journey
• my husband asking if he can give me a foot rub
• just the sweetest blessing ever... of course I cried.

• I have not taken that toe ring off in 16 years 
• pumpkin bagels & apple butter (w/ cream cheese) from Big Lots
• love Big Lots and the 99 Cent Store
• whenever I tell Randy I love him, he always says I will love you forever & ever
• needless to say, I say I love you a lot
• Randy's Christmas CD ~  Through Different Eyes 
• omg, my very favorite Christmas CD... that I happen to play year round 
• here's the link ~ Through Different Eyes
• email me if you want to order one ~ lindathompson825@gmail.com

Happy Thanksgiving! 

It really is so good to give thanks to the Lord. 

I am truly...

dementia & losing balance

My husband's brain is dying. And while it can seem like a long, slow death, certain stages of the disease can rear it's ugly head out of nowhere. Yesterday was one of those days.

Randy suddenly lost balance, overcorrected while lunging forward down the driveway. He landed facedown on the concrete with his right side taking the hit. Cut above his eye, mangled glasses, bruised shoulder, elbow, knees, lip and cut hands.

We spent 4 hours in the ER and if you know anything about Frontotemporal dementia, you know it was quite challenging while waiting for him to be sedated for stitches. Imagine all the things we did to distract our little ones in these situations... well, they came in quite handy yesterday. At one point as he was trying to get out of the room I started dancing with him. While I sang one of his songs we danced, he twirled me, we laughed. And it worked. For a short while. Then I told him a story about a little boy growing up with a love for music, songwriting and playing guitar... doing concerts, opening for BJ Thomas, leading many to Christ... and he was mesmerized. For a short while. Then I was on to something else. I may not be the best caregiver, but this I do well.

Finally they gave him something to relax him while waiting for the DR to sedate him for the stitches. (Propofol works well for him) It was then that I remembered the nurses telling me (when he was put under to have all his toenails removed) to be sure and take advantage of the sedation and do the things he won't let you do awake. I quickly went into action and with the help of the nurses, I had a scissor and shaver (along with a nail clipper and comb I had in my bag). I was good to go.

I trimmed his finger nails that were super long... trimmed his mustache and beard... cut the front of his hair... shaved his neck... I even trimmed his eyebrows that had severals 1" strands that were driving me crazy. (ok, even a few nose hairs) Then I finally got a close up of his toe nails and saw that half were starting to grow back. I was heartsick. But all in all, a sweet silver lining to a rather traumatic event. Thank you Lord.

Seriously, he is the sweetest man you'll ever meet and quite a handsome one I might add. In fact, when I told him he looked so young and handsome, he said "I know! I look gorgeous!" Yes, while I have more of a Mama's heart towards him now... I couldn't love him any more than I did as his wife. Love this dear man with all my heart.

Before

After