Deck the Halls!

Meg and John breezed into Grannie B's hospital room with all of their teenage energy to hang Mum's usual decorations from her home in Abernethy.  The walls drip with garlands and the windows are outlined in green and gold.  A large colourful ball hangs above her bed.  A nativity scene is found on one wall. Mum has a new Celtic Christmas CD, and we cranked up the bagpipe version of "Deck the Halls" during one slow day at the hospital. Those halls may never be the same.  Just wait 'til they hear the Hallelujah Chorus!

Today two friends of Mum's came to visit.  One brought a photo of herself with Mum's horse, Levi.  The photo is now on Mum's "Photos of Friends" Board.  Isabel's friend who had not seen her since September said, "You have made remarkable improvement considering where you were in September."  Mum was up in her chair with clothes and jewellery and newly styled hair and was full of smiles and nods.  Her friend said, "I believe that you WILL get out of this place."  Mum used her letter board and spelled out, "Cancel my bed!"

Later today, a Respiratory Therapist came by and said, "Isabel, you do not have four grey walls.  They are all decorated."  A housekeeper added, "Your room is one of the most interesting I see as you have so much neat stuff about your family and friends.  AND --  it is one of the most challenging when we have to do a deep clean because you have so much stuff!"

A decorated room stuffed with momentos of family and friends, and "remarkable improvement"  -- that's a good supply of HOPE for this first week in Advent.