Overwhelmed

As I think back on life since December 23, I think it is safe to say that “overwhelmed” pretty much describes it for me.  I don’t really think that I have had the time I need to take in my mother’s death yet either.  I have transitioned from her primary caretaker in life to her estate business manager since her death.  I have had deadlines to get her things moved out of two different places, which is not a big surprise.  I knew someday this would likely be the case, having to get a move done quickly after her death, but I never thought I would be moving out of two places at once.

When Mom was released from the hospital in early January, I moved her to the same facility where she was for several weeks last year and received such good care for rehab.  However, after a few days in this facility for care with Hospice, the experience was completely different and not satisfactory at all.  The folks with Hospice assisted me in locating a more suitable facility where she would have her own private bedroom and bathroom, as well as her own furniture, and miraculously, I was able to get both Mom and much of her furniture moved in about six hours.  The new place was absolutely perfect for her situation, as it was a private home that was a fully licensed nursing home for ladies only.  The staff there was very familiar with this type of situation with Hospice, and I will never regret moving her there, even though she only lived a week there before she passed away.  She had both her regular bed and a hospital bed in the room, and she was able to sleep in her own bed until her final day when the Hospice nurses finally had to move her to the hospital bed.

This was our second experience with private “in-home” nursing homes in our area, and both were great experiences and far better than more institutional options for Hospice care.  My husband’s mother went through a similar experience just over a decade ago.

Mom’s room in the private nursing home. What a blessing this place was to her and all of us in the family in her final week.

As a result of this move, I have had to clear her things out of both this new place and her former apartment very quickly.  As of yesterday evening, both places have now been vacated, with some things being moved to my house, my sister’s house and a storage unit for some out-of-town family members that have an interest in her estate.  While there is still much to do, this particular burden is now off of my shoulders, and I am grateful for this progress.

I am the executor of my mother’s estate, and this is a whole new experience, for sure.  I am fairly familiar with the process, having worked in the banking industry for a decade, but actually being the executor is quite a job.  I have already spent hours on an Excel spreadsheet to divide my mother’s personal property three ways, and she only lived in a one bedroom apartment.  I cannot even imagine having to do this if she was still living in her big house.  Thankfully, she divided most of her personal property a decade ago when she sold her house and moved to a retirement community.  There is also a rent house to be handled in her estate, which hopefully will not be a problem.

Due to all these things that have needed my immediate attention, I really have not had a single day of down time since Mom passed away.  My nephew has helped me a little bit here and there to take care of the needed moving, but other than that, I have had to do everything on my own.  When my father died, we had a lot of time to take care of things, such as clearing out his clothes out of their home.  This experience has been so different and so hurried, due to the necessity of getting Mom’s things out of two different places, and I can honestly say it has been far worse than I thought it would be.  I was prepared in my mind for what would need to happen, but I was not prepared for how hard it would be emotionally.

I’m exhausted and need a break soon.  Hubby had to resume his work travel this week, too.  Today may just be the day I just let everything go for a bit and have some down time.  I had dinner with our son last night, and I am scheduled to have dinner with a couple of dear friends tonight.  We have all had a tough start to 2015 in our own ways, but hopefully things will start to get better for all of us soon.  I cannot even begin to properly share how important my daily Bible reading, quiet time and gratitude exercises have been in all of this.  I am thankful for these healthy habits today, for sure.

Even when times are so very hard, God is faithful and provides.  Despite everything right now, I see the light at the end of this dark tunnel.

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