OK, girl, you can do this. You KNOW he will never put more on you than you can handle. I have seen a strength inside of you just reading your posts on this forum and I KNOW you are a go-getter with a heck of alot of gumption about you. If God brings you to it, he will bring you through it, if I had a way to leave my job, I would go with you. Your stepdad, Rick needs you there, so make it happen and know we are sending angels to surround that vehicle and float you to Alabama. Dont EVEN think about giving that Devil a foothold in this situation, name it , claim it and give God the glory and tell that devil to take a hike. I know you are a strong woman. Take it one step at a time, pack your bag, have hubby check your oil, water and tires, make sure you pack an extra blanket and pillow, sometimes those hospitals can be tiresome so make sure you have some reading material when dad is sleeping to keep your mind busy. I know you already know these things, but during these hard times, all you are thinking with is your heart. Go with God, girl, we are behind you 101%. Dont forget your Bible and pray Gods word over Rick, (The devil hates the name of Jesus, he will flee from it!) Be strong, we're here for you and have hubs keep us informed, please. Now that I've mother-henned you, just remember this, we love and care about you! Now, go on, girl, Gods got something for ya to do..... blessings-sherri

Okay! Thanks so much!!! I'll let him know Christine

The funeral was this morning. It was beautiful, & it was the most heartbreaking thing I ever saw. Beautiful church, with beautiful flowers in tiers upon tiers, filling the entire end of the sanctuary where the pulpit was.. & 4 caskets, 1 just about half the size of the others. 3 ministers, 4 eulogies, 1 for a 6-year-old & 1 for a 3-year-old. What can you say in a eulogy for a first-grader? for a toddler? They said Michael was smart as a whip & loved the water & asked pointed questions & never met a stranger. They said little Landon was born in perpetual motion & brought a smile to every face. & Landon, a surprise baby, may have saved his mother's life: Had she not had a sonogram, the cancer that was growing inside her might not have been discovered until too late. Thanks to everyone for your thoughts, prayers, & good wishes. It means a lot to me & to my family.

Annie, I'm so glad your FIL's doing better enough to be talking about bringing him home. That alone is a large Blessing at his age. We've learned a lot about handicapped issues in the past 3 years because of me. Our bathroom was the real challenge. We didn't want to put in what looked like a hospital bath for the reasons Lars noted. So, I spent a couple hundred hours searching online for alternatives. We'd been advised from multiple sources not to go the fiberglass handicapped tub/shower over an existing bath route so that was ruled out early in the process. I was able to find handicapped rails, grabbars, etc. in normal finishes, in our case, polished nickel. For the shower, here's what we ended up with... It's called an "easy access" rather than full handicapped. We also had double doors made that opened outwards with safety grabbars inside/out. The glass itself is also thicker than normal for more stability. We also installed a thermostatically controlled shower so I can't scald myself (I have advanced neuropathy so can't feel hot/cold). Everything in the room has been considered for ease of use. The vanity is higher than normal to limit bending. There are no hidden cabinets or closets that are hard to get into or to reach upper shelves, etc. Towels are in baskets under the vanity. Bathing products, extra TP, etc. reside on open easy accessible shelves. The toilet is also higher. Even one medicine cabinet is placed for ease of access to somebody with limited mobility. The stool swivels and I can reach almost everything without having to move. There are glides under the legs so I can move the stool with one finger. There are six hooks (some both inside and outside the shower) to hang clothes and/or towels easily. These pixs were taken before everything was fully put together but it gives a good idea of the finished room. It was a long haul but it's finally finished and is working perfectly. I can tend to all personal hygiene safely and without help. There's room to turn a walker around, if necessary, without the stool. Anyway, there are lots of options if you look around. /tricia