Fall and Falls

A lot of people dread this time of year. The cooler nights and drying leaves mean only two things: the peaceful, warm summer is gone and the long, cold winter is just ahead. Some things we’ve have learned over the past few years is instead of looking back at what was and peering too far ahead, be sure to notice and embrace what is here now.

The colors that burst from the landscape in New England Fall are breathtaking. There are roads that go under a canopy of trees with streaks of sunlight tickling the pavement. Others are lined with trees so tall it’s like driving in a deep canyon. A few weeks ago only the ferns along the ground had changed into dark red colors. A lone tree would proudly display glowing red leaves standing tall in line with its green neighbors. Then the oaks started changing. Their large leaves turned gradient colors from green to red to yellow, giving it an orange glow. Now all the trees are taking part. There are pink, orange, yellow and red leaves exploding from the scenery. God truly is an artist.

 There are not many updates about dad. He has had a few falls from the wheelchair, giving him a couple bumps and bruises. We are trying to figure out why he is often so tired that he falls over in his chair. Other than that, he is healthy and happy. He has wanted to take a few excursions and visit old friends from his previous neighborhood. His spirits have been high and he is getting along well.

As for us, we are happy to announce that we have been blessed with the upcoming opportunity to go to Cambodia! We will be there for the first two weeks of November and cannot contain our excitement! We will be staying with Ryan and Nikki, seeing their ministry and visiting our grandkids. They have a conference out of town while we are there, so we will get to do some travel within Cambodia and see the countryside. All of us have that familiar feeling we had when we were kids on Christmas Eve: the excitement for the next morning, keeping us awake and restless in our little beds.

We have been blessed with all aspects of the trip. We found visiting nurse care for dad while we are away, which will be covered by Medicare. We were uneasy to tell him we would be gone for a few weeks, anticipating he would be apprehensive, but he received the news with excitement. He is very happy for us. Little Riko will be staying with his aunt and uncle, Pat and Jim. They graciously offered to take him in while we are away. So with just a few more weeks to go, we are finalizing our preparations with grateful hearts for the opportunity.

We will post another update when we return to tell you about our trip. Until then, God bless!

With Love,

Mike and Jeanine Gooch

A Sunday afternoon hiking trip

Mike had a quick trip to Phoenix over Labor Day and met his newest niece

Some of the foliage

Went to dinner with dad. He asked for a side of corn with his chicken. They misunderstood and gave him a side of chicken with his corn.

14 August - Livin' in Clinton

It’s All A Wonder….

My 56th birthday.  The “down-slide to 60”.  Hmmmmm, down-slide?   As I sit here with Riko, I reflect on the fact that while I am past the century mark, life if anything, has sped up not slowed down as I always imagined it would have by this time.  I have lived more in the past 6 years than the 50 before it.  Since turning 50, I married my best friend, become a gramma (5x), lived in South Africa and moved to Massachusetts where I have learned more about the world of senior citizens, dispensing medicine & caring for an amputee than I ever thought I could ever know (this from a Candy striper dropout).   Through it all God has been by our side for the ride. And what a ride it has been.

His timing is perfect as always.  Lessons learned thru faith, peace in the knowing He is always there, Joy in seeing prayers answered.  What am I getting at?  The VA finally came through!   We came down to having $ for 1 more month of rent aaaaand…Dad now receives a pension that will allow him to stay at Sunrise for as long as he wants to.  He is SO happy (and I do mean “happy”) as are we.  This is the first time he says;  “I am so happy here”; “he/she made me laugh at dinner”; “I was teasing the girls at dinner today” ; since my Mom went home to be with Jesus.  He is now starting to decorate his little apartment and had me buy him some new jeans & t-shirts.  It is so wonderful to see him doing well. 

As for Mike & I we are slowly getting used to the “Massachusetts way of life”. Course I am not sure we’ll ever adjust to the humidity…ish.  But, we have been blessed with the opportunity to reconnect with my father, and that in itself has been awesome!  And, God has blessed us with this little town we now call home.  We love going on walks after supper, hanging at Central Park for the Tuesday night concerts, or taking Riko for a run around the rez…..  We have our own little Mayberry here (check out “the Andy Griffith Show” circa 1960-68 for you youngsters) …safe and friendly.  He has led us to a nice little church where the people are warm, worship is awesome & the Word is shared.  Our new life….

And so as we always do, we send you all our thanks.  Actually “thanks” is such a small word.  Your constant support and prayers have been such a blessing to us.  Even after we returned to the US you have been by our side.  Like I said before….His time is perfect, we have learned lessons thru faith, gained peace knowing He is always with us, experienced the joy in seeing our prayers answered AND are comforted by the love & support of family & friends…

Yeah…56 is definitely NOT a down-slide at all

In His Name…

   Jeanine & Mike

 This is our town....

 ...where duck crossings are the 
                                                                                             norm.
  Sunrises and....

 ...sunsets are amazing.

 Tuesday night concerts in the
                                                                             park bring folks together,

 and an awesome view from the rez....

                                      yup this is our town.

                 

May Already?

We are happy to announce our 4th wedding anniversary coming next week! Who would have thought that since the day Mike knelt before Jeanine in front of her beloved penguins at the Denver Zoo to ask for her hand in marriage, that life would take us where we are today? It has been a wild ride for sure.

We have enjoyed a little reprieve from very fluid and sometimes stressful life situations. Over the past few months we have found a routine. Mike goes to work to for the bacon while Jeanine is almost full-time at her dad’s housing unit to help him with medication, bathing and care. Little Riko is at her side at all times and has become very popular at the housing facility and at dad’s doctor’s office. Although the ceilings squeak under the feet of our neighbor above, we are comfortable in our little apartment. The commute for both Mike and Jeanine are good, as good as commuting can be in New England. Jeanine is using dad’s car for transportation while Mike is diving an old Jetta that clicks while idling, has a non-functional driver side window, a door handle that falls off when pulled and a front bumper held in place by zip-ties. But it starts up everyday and gets him to work. 

Dad’s health has improved quite a bit. He is as strong as an ox and after finding the right medication combination, is sleeping better. He has been a lot of fun to be around and he laughs a lot more. Dad is Riko’s biggest fan and loves to give him “special treats” when Riko comes to visit. 

Life has been good.

But now we are in another situation that offers some unrest. Dad might be facing a circumstance where he could be evicted from assisted living facility. Last year we applied for federal financial aid through Veteran Affairs, which we were hoping would kick-in by now. It would help pay for rent. Although his apartment is cheaper than any nursing home and any other assisted living facility in Central Massachusetts, the costs are quickly diminishing his savings. If he does not get approved for aid soon, we will have to find a new place for him to live.

Unfortunately, Medicare will not help, at least until he is flat broke. At that point the government has a say in where he will live because they pay the bill. The VA offers two amounts of aid. With the higher amount, he will be able to stay where he is after we chip in a little each month. With the lower amount, he will actually be in a worse situation. Long story short, with the smaller amount from the VA he will make too much for Medicare help but will still be way short of rent at any assisted living facility. 

Dad cannot move back in with us because the apartment is not accessible from his wheelchair. He has to be in an assisted living and cannot be on his own elsewhere. So we wait for a response from the VA, hoping they will offer the higher amount.

Until then, we ask for your prayers. Please pray that the proper funding comes in for him and that he may not be discouraged by the situation.

We thank you for your prayers and encouragement as we continue to hang on to this wild ride!

Love,

Mike & Jeanine (and Riko)

P.S. Riko is working on a video for YouTube. We will let you know when he posts it. The lack of opposable thumbs is slowing him down.

Happy New Year!

 

Well 2013 surely was a year of change, change, change….Dec 20th (yes I am counting Dec 2012 as part of last year for us) we found ourselves back in the US to begin a totally new sort of journey, caring for my elderly parents. And since that time … 

• Dec – 2 days after arriving to US, dad has mild heart attack.
• Dec - Dad has amputation #1 and begins his 3 month rehab at the Nursing Home where Mum lives.
• Jan - found a little house to rent in Winchendon with a PINK bathroom! ( & the adjustment to living in Massachusetts begins).
• Jan - Job searches & starting from scratch to fill our home with furniture, etc.; (we get very familiar with the local thrift stores & Salvation Army facilities …. Quite awesome actually) .
• Feb – Dad gets approved for a handicap unit in his apt complex .
• Feb - Dad has to have bi-pass on 2nd leg (hoping to avoid 2nd amputation). 1 step forward & 2 steps back  
• Mar – Mike finds work in Franklin…(however, 1 ½ hr drive each way…. ick).
• Mar - Dad moves home to his new handicap access apartment & I become full time care giver.
• Mar - I learn to transfer him on/off bed; in/out of vehicle; on/off toilet & how to control meds & weekly blood tests….we become a TEAM! (& a very good one at that).
• Mar – After a 4-day, round the clock vigil with my sibs, we say goodbye to Mum She goes home to be with Jesus on Palm Sunday.
• April- Dad’s bi-pass fails; he decides to NOT to the have surgery(amputation) that would stop the infections…(at this point, he just wants to go be with Mum and so we start pre-hospice care). 
• April/May- Dad gets weaker & weaker…my brother helps Mike & I take turns spending the night with him. 
• June – Dad finally opts for 2nd amputation & rehab (whew) 
• June – Mike is contacted by old employer and starts new job at Staples in Framingham (still 1 ½ hr drive each way, but a little more mullah). 
• July – Dad returns home to begin life as a double amputee. 
• July -We relearn to transfer ….harder now, have to begin using artificial leg to get in and out of chair. Begin visiting nurse program OT & PT help. 
• July- Dad needs permanent help…again, my brother & I take turns spending the night on his floor. 
• Aug – Dad gets rushed to the hospital for an infection…needs a blood transfusion (sigh) soooooo…..
• Aug – we talk him into moving into our little house with us & transform the living room into his bedroom. Continue with OT/PT visits. Dad begins to get stronger, more independent & emotional state improves! 
• Sept – Dad is crowned Wii Bowling Champion. (whoo hoo!!) 
• Sept - we start looking for a house for all 3 of us, with handicap access. Find one but Govt furlough puts a halt to the progress  (funny how the Lord can use the weirdest things to say…uh uh, not THAT way). So instead ….
• Oct -The Lord leads us to a small assisted living facility that has amazing staff onsite 24/7. He would have a little studio apartment, it boasts a nice restaurant style dining room AND is actually running a “special” to move in right away. It is in Leominster. Dad likes it & the decision is made for him to move there. 
• Nov – we find an adorable little garden apartment in Clinton. It is only ½ hr drive to work now for Mike, just 15min away from Dad…. AND they allow pets! 
• Dec – We find & adopt Riko from a local animal rescue facility just before Christmas. They partner with a group who rescue dogs in Puerto Rico (hence the name we gave him). He is a joy & a ½ let me tell you…full of spunk and attitude! (our kind of dog). 

 

So here we are in 2014… Mike is happier at work now that his drive is less & he can work from home a couple days a week. I spend time with my Dad 3-4 days a week to help with showers, meds, take his blood test & just to hang out. We got permission from Dads complex to bring Riko with me when I go & my Dad loves him. He is great with people so I am able to take him almost everywhere. Dad is doing great! He is very independent now & has a little battery powered wheelchair he zooms around in. Now that Dad is finally settled, I am starting to look for part-time work that will allow us to supplement the cost of the place where Dad is staying & still give me time to go in & help him…God will provide that too.

 

As we look back on 2013, Mike & I cannot believe the journey God has taken us on so far. We look forward to what He might have in store for us this up-coming year and finally feel like we are in the place He wants us to be so we can truly begin our life here in Massachusetts.

 

We thank you all for your continued Prayers! We are only as strong as our faith in God & the support from our family & friends! We love you all!

 

Mike, Jeanine & Riko