An Emotional December

What an incredibly emotional month December has been. From COVID quarantine away from home to Grandad being in the hospital to him coming home with hospice care, I have cried quite a few tears. 

I will go on record as saying that I think hospital quarantine is an utterly awful practice and that it has become accepted it even more awful. We didn't know how much he could understand and he, for sure, was not able to communicate adequately. My parents knew only the barest of details of how he was doing. It was a heartbreaking time. Grandad was on a 21 day quarantine, thankfully he was able to come home on day 12 and when he came home he was considered no longer COVID positive.  (insert every confused face emoji here!)

Janell and I watched him leave for the hospital the day he was admitted and we sobbed together when the door closed. We really didn't know if he would come home again. For days the report was that his oxygen had to be increased and changed to higher pressure. And then one day they were able to lessen the oxygen and the next day he was off pressurized oxygen and discharge planning started. He was home before Christmas which I just consider to be astonishing.

I got to be there to welcome him home off the ambulance. He was so tired and felt so fragile, but he was so content and happy to be home.

It's only now, more than a week later, that I can go see him without crying. He's holding steady. Some days he sleeps most of the day and other days he is very alert. Today he got enough words out that I knew he was asking about the progress on our house. If he seems up for it, I ask if he'd like me to read from the Bible. He always says yes. It's possible he would let me read for an hour before  he would tell me to stop. I haven't tested that. I'm pretty sure I quit reading before he is tired of listening. And he's always so very grateful. These are the moments I treasure. 

And since I'm tearing up, I will leave it at that.