I had my doubts. I wasn't sure how it was going to pan out. We didn't even have enough beds for everyone who was going to be at the cabin, but we hoped to make it work. I shared a room with Grace. Todd and the boys slept in the hunters' quarters in the basement. Todd's mom and dad got their room, and his sister, her husband, and their daughter shared another room. It worked out, dare I say, perfectly.
Todd and the boys got up early and quietly as mice they ate their breakfast, got dressed, and headed out to go fishing before the rest of us were even awake. Grace and I slept in long past our normal time and took our time getting dressed and eating. By the time we were ready the fishermen were back with a bucket full of perch and smiles all around.
The rest of the day was spent the way it should be when the weather is in the eighties. Outside.
It ended up being an amazing weekend. Everyone was well behaved and had a great time. The hummingbirds and dragonflies were out, and 5 or 6 eagles constantly circled above the lake all weekend. The weather was perfect and the bugs were few.
We were worried about how Todd's dad would handle all the commotion but he did amazingly well with all the people around and was fairly clear for the majority of the time. He and I even had a moment at dinner on Friday night that brought tears to my eyes. He told me how proud he is of Todd and that he couldn't ask for a better son. He said how happy it makes him to see his family enjoying the cabin that he built and that he is so glad that we are all so close by. Again he said he couldn't ask for a better son, and then added, or a better daughter in law. He commented that Todd and I are a great couple and he thinks we work really well together. Throughout the entire conversation I had such a lump in my throat I could barely talk. Though Alzheimer's takes away his ability to recognize his family he still comes shining through sometimes. And it helps us to remember that even when his brain doesn't let him see us his soul always knows. When Todd and I had a minute alone I told him about the conversation I had with his dad. Though Todd knows his dad feels that way, hearing it means so much right now. It was a beautiful way to start the weekend.
It was a weekend of:
Playing and swimming in the water
Making up games
Fishing with family
Playing with cousins
Wearing pretty sandals. And going barefoot.
Splashing piggies with Grandma
Brotherly love
And nature's beauty
After this weekend I am optomistic for summer. I know that when school comes to an end on Friday we will be able to fill the summer with good times and wonderful memories. I'm hopeful now. Though I had my doubts before we left for the cabin this weekend turned out to be just what we needed.
16 comments:
Wow, how amazing! That story of your FIL brought tears to my eyes. I hope the rest of your summer can be just as beautiful!
Oh, it sounds (and looks) wonderful! And what a gift to have had that conversation with your father-in-law.
So beautiful Kat. I hope you have a wonderful summer. What a precious gift with your FIL.
It looks like you guys had so much fun!
Wow....what an amazing conversation. My best friend's dad suffers from Alzheimer's and it is just devastating. How wonderful that it was such a special weekend.
I'm glad you had such a good weekend and that your FIL shared his heart with you in that way. That's amazing and such a beautiful memory for you to have tucked away.
I hope you feel rejuvenated! :)
What a perfect weekend! Isn't it amazing how a change of scenery can improve everyones moods? I'm glad you had that special moment with your FIL too.
So glad you had a great time. You needed it!
That sounds to me like exactly the kind of weekend you - and your entire family - needed and could appreciate on so many levels too. Just think, you now have the whole summer ahead to plan and maybe do a re-run of this past weekend with your whole family around you!
Sounds like it took a leap of faith to make the trip, but it really worked out. I'm so glad for your whole family!
Love the fancy flip flops! I'll have to head to Target to see if I can find any for my ladies! Glad it was a good time!
It sounds like you had a perfect weekend.. and what a beautiful gift from your father in law.
It sounds & looks like a wonderful weekend, in so many ways.
I have to tell you that when I read the beginning I first thought you said "Stuff the kids in the TRUNK!" lmao!
i'm so glad that not only did the weekend work out so well but you had such precious moments with todd's dad. times like that are precious when there are no cognitive issues but so much more so when they shine through the fog of dementia.
You have a rich life Kat. Despite the unfairness of it all (alzheimer's), you have been blessed with some very special moments that others go a whole lifetime without. I love your cabin weekends and the photos that follow :-)
What a fabulous weekend!
And I completely teared up at what Todd's father said to you about Todd (and you!). It reminded me of talks I had with my Dad before I died and he told me he was proud of me as a daughter and the woman I'd become. Daddies know just what to say! I'm so happy for you guys for his moments of clarity.
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