The care center staff encouraged us to make her space as homey as possible. We have been fortunate in finding such a facility. Want your own chair? No problem -- if it fits, she sits. Don't like the colors of your walls? A can of paint will take care of that. Curtains not your style? We've got other colors to choose from or your can bring your own. The staff has been very accommodating. But what about the sounds of her home? The familiar creaks and groans of walls and floorboards; the hum of the refrigerator; the furnace blower as it kicks on; and all the other sounds that surround you like a warm hug ... you can't bring those items. So what items do you bring to fill a single room in order to make it feel like home? And what happens to the items left behind? At the end of the day, it's just stuff...right? But it's her stuff.
The phrases "Home is where you make it" and "home is where your heart is" plays in my head. A care center is not a home. It is what it is called. A care center. I am grateful for the care center and for a staff who will make sure mom is safe. After all, her safety and well-being are what's most important. But there is a sadness and a grief that fills our hearts as we get her settled into her new "home".
In the words of Dorothy from Wizard of Oz ... "There's no place like home". I walk into my home after a long week and I take in all the sounds, sights, and comforts that are so familiar to me. A home filled with life and with love...my safe haven at the end of a day. I am blessed and have been blessed that our mom has always provided a safe haven. It just looks and sounds a little different now.
John 14:2-3 There are many rooms in my Father’s house. I would not tell you this if it were not true. I am going there to prepare a place for you. After I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back. Then I will take you to be with me so that you may be where I am.