I GOT MY MAMA BACK!

Milton, here for Kristy:

Our precious Julie has returned home for a few days and wrote the following thoughts. As you will read, Kristy has rallied some though she faces so many unbelievable hardships. She doesn't complain and still proclaims the goodness of the Lord.

The pictures were taken Friday evening in our family room. You will read how Kristy got everything just right for these pictures in Julie's post.

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Julie, here:

I got my mama back!

We had the best night tonight! I got in this afternoon from Tampa and was so happy to see my mother sitting in the recliner in the living room. For the most part these past weeks she has laid in a hospital bed either at hospice or here at home. It has broken my heart to see my sweet, industrious mother laying in a bed all day just staring at the ceiling, unable to sit up on her own, feed herself, have a conversation, or even just watch T.V. with me. I wrote the following this past week:

I want my Mama!!!

As I sat by my mother's bed late Saturday night, those were the words that were repeating themselves in my mind. You know how young children cry, "I want my mommy!" That's how I felt. I wanted her to get up and to talk with me. I wanted us to turn on HGTV and talk about decorating styles. I want my mother back…

Well, I got her back just a little bit tonight! Aunt Sandra, Uncle Terry, Aunt Becky, Uncle Don, Dad, and Sandra and Don Barfield were here with us tonight. We enjoyed a lovely dinner that some of my parents' dear friends prepared for us. It was so nice to sit at my parents' kitchen table and eat with my mom sitting in the same room with me, so close by. The other day I ate there and thought about how she would never sit at that table with us again, and how sorely I missed her and would miss her in the future.

Mom did experience a lot of confusion tonight, but she was also very alert and was clear a lot of the time. Not only was she clear, she was down right funny! We had such a good time! When it was time for Dad to put her in the wheelchair and take her back to her bed, she wanted some pictures.

She asked us to go get her lipstick. She would not let Dad pick her up, and she would not let Uncle Terry take her picture until she had her "orangey lipstick" on! She hasn't asked about makeup or even been alert or aware enough to want it in weeks! And if you know my mother, she has always worn her special shade of lipstick all of the time, especially for pictures!

It's quite a process getting her back in her bed, but after we all got her back in her bed, she began to get upset. She became confused and thought she was going to miss her flight.
She said, "Oh no! I've delayed them. I'm holding everything back. I've burdened everyone."

She wanted to have a talk with all of us girls and she told us how thankful she was of the good care we've given her and how much she loved us. She said she wanted to pay for our tickets too because we have and will pray for her and will support her. She was worrying about leaving things behind. She pulled the covers up and looked down at her feet to see if she had her heels on. She said she would need to bring her light weight shoes. She asked us if we were coming too.

I lay with her, rubbing her head, and as she dosed off she said, "Oh no!"

I said, "What's wrong?" She said, "Where are my tickets?"

Even through all of her confusion this evening, I enjoyed this time with my mother. We were able to sit in the same room during dinner, we were able to watch a movie (we watched a movie about Ruth Graham), and best of all we laughed together. That is true happiness on my face in these pictures.