Putting Things in Perspective

So today was the Big Event. It was a beautiful, cool day. Perfect weather for our Big Event. The church is not air conditioned, and it is usually very hot when all the people are packed in for the Big Event. We went outside, and one of our neighbors had spread manure. The wonderful smell of fresh, country air to welcome all of our guests!

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Attendance was up over 40% for the morning worship service. It was great to see so many people who had come home for the event. As the service began, the sound system began to act up. It made weird noises off and on through out the service. Our experts were back there trying to solve the problem.

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I came home and got a message from Sister. Dad gained 7 pounds since yesterday. He's not carrying around about 73 pounds of fluid. None of his clothes fit, and neither do his shoes. His feet are very red, and his skin is tight. Sister is finally coming to terms with the reality that he is not doing well. She asked me when I could come talk to him about hospice. She wants to go with me, but Tuesday she goes back to work full time, and tomorrow she is taking Niece to the zoo and a birthday party. Brother doesn't want us to mention hospice to Dad. He says it would kill him. Daughter doesn't want to go. She doesn't want to see Grandpa like this. Sister told me that Daughter wouldn't notice anything. She told me that after she had told me how terrible he looked and how shocked I would be at the change in him.

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I spent much of the afternoon talking to various siblings. Brother and Sister still aren't speaking, and now that Sister is beginning to face reality she is very frustrated that Brother is in denial.... In between phone calls I fixed a salad for the big event, comforted Daughter and talked about coping with Grandpa's decline. I had promised to take her to the fair tomorrow. She might not get there this year. I also filled pill boxes for Daughter. Two more of her medications are now generics. Sigh.

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By the time the supper began, the wind had shifted and the air was a little less fragrant. I got over to the church and as I was eating supper with some friends I saw the organ technician appear in the basement and climb up into the organ chamber. Not a good sign. They had spent hours getting the organ in shape for tonight on Tuesday. While the organist and pianist were practicing, the organ suddenly stopped playing. An emergency call went out, and the organ company showed up. It seems that a sleeve that takes air to the pipes had suddenly developed a torn seam. The seam began to unravel, and the whole thing quickly gave out. As the technician told me, our organ ruptured its aorta. They constructed a new sleeve. I asked if they were going to use duct tape. He said they might. They did an emergency repair, and will be back during the week to finish it up. They didn't have duct tape, so they used electrical tape.

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People were coming to me with questions and concerns, and nothing really bothered me. My Dad is dying. Their concerns all seemed so petty. It was a wonderful evening of music. I didn't stress over the little things. How can I get upset about sound systems or organs when my Dad is dying? I still haven't decided what I'm going to do tomorrow. I would prefer not to travel on the holiday, but I may have to. We'll see....