Today was a nice quiet sabbath. \u00a0This morning Mom was sitting on the couch with her eyes closed and Dad and Jon were having a conversation about parenting. \u00a0Both of them thought Mom was asleep, but at one point in the conversation, when Dad said something about some particular point of parenting, Mom emphatically nodded her head in agreement. \u00a0Never underestimate the attentiveness of a mother.<\/p>\n
After lunch, Mom had a nice long nap on the couch. \u00a0She was really sleepy at lunch, so it didn\u2019t surprise us much that she slept for a couple of hours. \u00a0She seems to be sleeping more lately. \u00a0Mom woke up rather suddenly (on her own) and gave Angie a smile, who had just looked over at her. \u00a0We sat her up and sang a sacrament hymn and then administered the sacrament. \u00a0Afterwards, we sang a few more of Mom\u2019s favorite hymns (she likes them all, so we can sing just about anything we know and it is one of her favorites). \u00a0After the singing, we took Mom out to the backyard to sit in the sunny, beautiful 71\u00b0 weather. \u00a0There was a slight breeze which felt heavenly. \u00a0I read a bit to Mom from the book she made for us a couple years ago. \u00a0What a great testament of her love to her family is contained in that book.<\/p>\n
For dinner, Angie roasted a delicious lamb that she found in the freezer. \u00a0When Angie first suggested it to Dad, he said he loved the idea, but only if we \u201chad a full jar of mint jelly on hand.\u201d \u00a0They had to dig around a bit, but huzzah, we found one! \u00a0She also made mashed potatoes and Mom\u2019s glazed carrots. \u00a0Yum.<\/p>\n
After dinner, we watched a documentary on the Polynesian Cultural Center that aired on BYU TV back in 2005. \u00a0It\u2019s really neat, so if you\u2019ve got some time, you ought to watch it. \u00a0Mom has always had a very special place in her heart for Hawai\u2019i. \u00a0Before bed, Mom got a massage from Aunt Carol and then we tucked her in and sang to her for about half an hour. \u00a0Dad joined us and we all knelt and said a family prayer before saying goodnight to Mom.<\/p>\n
I\u2019d like to share a thought I had last week as we flew into Atlanta. \u00a0Each day Mom gets a little worse. \u00a0She\u2019ll speak less, or eat more slowly, or be less responsive. \u00a0I knew it would be like this before coming out here to help, and it scared me to have to face that every day. \u00a0But then I had a Pres. Uchtdorf moment and I thought of an airplane analogy. \u00a0I thought that this experience is like trying to land a plane. \u00a0There are certain things you have to do to land a plane safely like slowing down and lowering the flaps and the landing gear. \u00a0Our job right now is to help Mom be as comfortable as possible and surround her with love and support so she can come in and land smoothly. \u00a0Thinking about that has given me strength during these last several days.<\/p>\n