My Father, God, and Blogs

My dad will be discharged from the hospital today. The whole situation is quite complicated. As I understand it, Medicaid would have paid for him to be admitted to a nursing home here in Columbus Nebraska for about 100 days. My brother Jim and I went to visit the two nursing homes that had male beds open. The good think would that there would have been 40 women to every man there, and my dad would have been very popular. But Jim and I decided that we would not be very happy with ourselves if we left my dad there at a nursing home. He would get very good care, but it was not the best solution. We all agree that hospice is the best way forward, and want very much for my dad to spend his last days in comfort. We saw his potential room at one nursing home. It had a view overlooking a cemetery. In fact, it was the same cemetery where my grandparents are buried. So we are looking into two options. One he stays at his apartment and we hire appropriate care. That will be expensive, but perhaps the most comfortable option for my dad. The second option is that I drive him to New Orleans and he would live with us. The worst part of this option for my dad is that he has a great companion and caregiver named Liz, and my dad wouldn't be able to see her very often if at all. We will explore these issues today. I'll spend a few days and nights with my dad at his apartment in Columbus getting all of this situated.

Yesterday at the hospital I was approached by a very nice hospital employee. He said he comes from a nearby town of Meadow Grove, and he knew my Uncle John very well prior to his passing. He said his wife reads this blog, they knew I was heading to Columbus, and that he and his family were praying for me. I was amazed and said that represented a uniquely 21st century happening, that sometimes technology can be a good thing. He said no, it was God. Maybe both are accurate.