Three Things I'm Thankful For:

1. Middle-of-the-Week-for-no-reason-at-all turkey dinners at mom's house.

(Max and Zac filling up their plates)

(Drew and Clint, almost the same height?)

2. The snow has melted. The roads are not icy.

Goofiness.

3. An update on my dad's status:

Laurie, our home care nurse, has her suspisions regarding dad's diagnosis. She's worked with Alzheimer's patients for 15 years, and doesn't think dad is exhibiting common behaviours. She's talked to dad's doctor, and he agrees.

Totally unrelated, but not really, my mom ordered some custom frame work done for a few of her Trisha Romance prints. The shop owner delivered them to the house last week, and mom invited the shop owner and her husband in to see the house. Dad engaged in conversation for a few minutes, then left them and went to bed. My mom mentioned to her guests that dad had Alzheimer's, then carried on with the house tour.

The shop owner (I can't remember her name, so let's called her Linda), Linda said something like, "Alzheimers? Really? I'm recognizing symptons similar to what I had ten years ago - severe, deep depression. It had been recommended to me that I meet with the head of that department at St Paul's hospital... and maybe he'd be able to help me. Well that doctor doesn't take on new patients, in addition to his practice, he also teaches at UBC, so I got his associate. They put me on Lithium, and I've never looked back. I am a functioning, adjusted, content person now. But ten years ago, I was incapacitated, unable to look after myself. "

She gave mom the doctor's name, so Laurie (the homecare nurse) gave him a call. He wasn't answering his calls, so she left a message. He called her back that evening at home and chatted with her for quite awhile. In the end, he said he'd personally take my dad on as a patient... Laurie was to get a referral from dad's doctor (who I will refer to as Dr. I). He also wants dad off his Alzheimer meds and onto Prozac for 6 weeks and he'll see him after that.

The following day, Laurie took my dad to see Doctor I to get the referral. Doctor I was stunned that the St. Paul's depression specialist was going to take on my dad. The St. Paul's specialist was Doctor I's teacher at doctor school!

Feels like God is still working on doing something about dad's health.

I'd been prepared to accept the Alzheimer's and Congestive Heart Failure "thing" and had resigned myself to simply making dad comfortable.

But maybe... maybe God has a different plan?

Maybe this won't play out the way everyone thought it would?

Oh that God.

Shalom,