Sunday, November 29, 2009

Memories

Last summer when we were on our vacation, a new temple opened nearby. It was the first one I could take my kids into that they would actually remember. The whole time we were in line waiting for our turn, I was telling them different things to expect. The first thing you do when you walk in the door is stop between two people. You lift one foot up and they slip these little disposable shoe covers over your shoe. Then you repeat it with your other foot. I was really excited for them to see this part--it's always what stuck out in my head from earlier open houses I'd been to. This new building (sadly) didn't have these cute little feetie covers---the entire walking areas were made up of marble tiles and all of the carpet was covered with the long plastic carpet covers. No, it's not a big deal---but there was a tinge of disappointment!

Fighting The Good Fight

My mom has been going through a really rough patch trying to wean herself off of pain medication her doctor prescribed for her. You know, you always hear about celebrities fighting these kinds of addictions, and I tend to judge rather harshly. Little did I realize that much of these addictions are caused by the doctors and the drugs themselves. By that, I mean, with the rebound of pain that accompanies taking pain medication. It will take away the pain for awhile, but when it wears off, the body sends rebound pain--and you end up taking more medication to relieve that pain, and the accompanying pain and so on!

It's been 24 days since she went off of her pain medication cold turkey. And she's finally starting to feel a little more human. Those first three days were the worst! I honestly thought I should start looking for cross country movers to be with her. It's probably good that we are 1500 miles apart, because I would have been there all day every day--and there are times I think she would have pushed just to converse with me. And with me not there, it gave her the freedom to rest and only take my phone calls when she really had the energy to do so!