Easter Blessings

My family had somewhat of a non-traditional Easter celebration this year. Since our dad is in his second week of staying in a nursing home to recover some of his strength, we decided to gather there instead of hunting for eggs in someone's yard.

So we hopped down the bunny trail to Grantsburg -- a 4-hour hike north from Rapids. While physically, I was anxious to see Dad and give him a hug, emotionally, I was not prepared to see Dad in a nursing home. I was just about speechless.

When we first got there, he was in the dining room with my brother and nephew. When we decided to go in a lounge down the hall to accommodate our potentially large number of visitors, Dad had a hard time walking that far. Even with the aid of a nurse and his wheeled walker, he shuffled so slowly, I wanted to cry. Then, when he needed a break halfway there, I just didn't know how to react. He just seemed so old and weak!

We ended up having seven of us eight siblings there with whatever family members could make it. Since it was my mom's birthday earlier in the week and she won a cake, we all got "Easter cake," too!

 I tried to get Dad to smile but he wasn't much for interacting today.

He had a little coffee and cake and was going to work on a puzzle, but didn't seem to have the energy. About 2 hours later, he went back to his room to rest. I tried to entice him to walk the whole way. I said, "If you beat me back to your room, I'll be a Packer fan for life!"

That got him started but he still needed that break halfway back. Sigh.

While he was going back, naturally, we couldn't let that puzzle go unfinished!

With a team of kids and grandkids on the job, we got 'er done! Hubby stood off to the side and said, "So this is how you get a room full of Hedbergs quiet!" That is funny. And very true!

By the way, I did beat Dad back to his room. I wrote in his Guest Book: "I beat you back to your room, Dad. Go Vikes!" I hope he'll at least smile about that some day.

When I see poems like this hanging in his room, it's a heck of a lot easier for me to cry than smile. Lord, I hope he can regain his strength and go home some day!

After we left there, we all headed over to T'Dawgs, a local bar/restaurant. I guess chicken strips were my Easter meal this year! And Carter got BBQ ribs. Oh yeah, he loved that!

 Got a nice three-generation picture with my mom and Batman.

Then we had to get a picture of the 7 R's who were there so we could wish Happy Easter to the 8th R (Rayna) down in Texas!

We are truly blessed to have each other. And I am thankful.