Dad's Mother in Law

Well tonight I went by to visit mama in the hospital first to see what kind of shape she was in before bringing Grandfather to see her. During her horrible night Tuesday night going into the ER she kept crying out for him so I knew I had to but wasn't going to put either of them through that if she wasn't in good shape. She had her eyes closed but I turned on the lights in the room & turned up the tv & started talking to her. Nothing. Then I walked out to hand papers to the nurse & walked back in & she was looking for me. I talked & sang a while & when I could see she was comfortable I went & brought dad to see her. I hadn't seen dad myself in a few nights because of all the business of her illness & getting her in a different building. He was doing well. They were each glad to see each other. 

The funniest thing happened when we got back to his nursing home. There was a female patient in a wheelchair facing the front window sound asleep with her stocking feet on the wing chair. I said hey dad come look at the lady in the window. Now this is about 11:00 at night. So dad says oh yeah that's my mother-in-law. I just started smiling. He was very pleased with her & whoever she was. I thought - he is finally making friends in there. Anyway I said dad she cannot be your mother-in-law. That would be Nannie Mattison. Then he stumbled over his words & said she runs my ______ I had no idea what he was trying to say & I said activities & he said yes. Well I know she doesn't do that but maybe she helps him out with something. Anyway it struck me funny how she watched out the window in the dark. It didn't occur to me til later that she may have been watching for him to come back. I am just so happy he has made friends in there no matter who they are. The way he makes himself a stranger in these places as if he isn't there for long seems a shame. Even if you are only there for a short while why not enjoy the stay with friends. Maybe they just share a table in the dining room. I am just so happy he has someone that makes him smile. Even if he thinks it is his mother-in-law.


It made me smile to think of the talks I used to have with mom when dad was in rehab in FL. She would constantly ask to speak with her brother Bill & her father. When I would reply that they had died & were in Heaven she would say "Oh that is ridiculous - someone would have told me - why didn't I get to go to the funeral?" & I would say that she had been to their funerals & had gotten to say Goodbye and that she had forgotten about it. She accepted that. But we did have that conversation often.