Kaneesha’s Visit and Strength
4/10/2020
On Wednesday night, Kaneesha surprised us and came to visit. Well, she’d visited with Noell about it, but it was a great surprise to me. As I was nearing the end of my work day, around 7PM, I heard Kaneesha’s voice in the adjoining room. Her voice was much more clear than I normally hear when Noell talks with her on the phone, Marco Polo app, or FaceTime. I hoped she was here, but wasn’t sure until the meeting ended and I could come out of my office. It was so great to see her again. It had been a long while since I’d seen her and with the Coronavirus, I didn’t feel comfortable going to visit her. We visited, ate dinner, and played games until after midnight, to celebrate the arrival of her birthday.
On Thursday morning I went about my day, and carried out my work. As 5PM arrived, I was excited to spend some more time with Kaneesha. The day was the most beautiful and warm that we’ve had all week. I suggested that we go for a motorcycle ride. We loaded Tate into a belly pack and I drove him around the yard a little on my XR 400. Kaneesha rode the CRF 100 and Tanner rode the 4 wheeler. After putting around the yard, Kaneesha asked where we were going.
We then headed down the canal to the rapids. We enjoyed visiting at the rapids and Kaneesha checked the temperature of the water. Definitely too cold for swimming. Noell texted and asked if we wanted to also take Dawson, who had just awakened.
We returned for Dawson and Kaneesha loaded him up with her. We then drove down the canal several miles further with both Dawson and Tate. Tanner’s dog Mya is definitely a runner. She ran with us the entire time. Much of the time she had a ball in her mouth—in case we wanted to play fetch. As we stopped several times, she jumped into the canal to cool off and to get a drink. At one point she couldn’t climb out of the steep embankment. Tate and I worked our way down to her and helped her get her front paws on solid ground.
When we returned home, Noell had completed her lemon meringue and chocolate pudding pies for Kaneesha’s birthday. Evidently they decided that would be better than birthday cake this time. I loved the scrumptious decision. Before we ate the desert, we went into town to order take-out at Rupe’s Drive In.
After feeding the twins and eating desert, we sang the Goodworth birthday song:
“As years go by, they seem to do,
The nicest things to you,
For every time you add one more,
You’re 12 months dearer than before.
A very happy birthday,
A very happy birthday,
A very happy birthday,
Especially for you!”
We played games until after midnight. The last game we played was “Cover Your Assets.” It’s probably my least favorite game EVER... Kaneesha tried to catch my pouty face on camera and even the detestful way that I played my cards on video. Perhaps she did, although I’m not certain. When the game finally ended and I completely lost, with basically no money, we headed to bed just after midnight.
It was one of the first nights in weeks where I was completely ready for sleep. Often I’m exhausted by 8 or 9 PM, but by the time we get Tate and Dawson ready for bed, I’ve somehow gotten a second wind and am unable to sleep.
Last Thursday was so different than Kaneesha’s birthday. As work was wrapping up, my back was beginning to ache. By the time we fed the twins and got them to bed, my stomach was very sore. The pain increased into the night until after 2:00 AM we felt it was a gal bladder attack and that I needed to go in for a possible emergency surgery. Tanner drove me in so Mom could be with Dad and Noell could be with Tate and Dawson.
Around 5AM the doctor had finished tests and the morphine had alleviated the pain. It turns out that the first thing they tested for was a heart attack. They checked other things, including the gal bladder and even chron’s disease. They ruled all of them out and the doctor told me that he felt it was gastritis. He told me to watch what I ate, not to eat three hours before going to bed, to maintain a healthy weight, not to sleep on my side, take medicine, etc. All of these I’ve been doing and never had I had an attack like that.
As I returned home and shared my frustration with my mother, I explained how I couldn’t understand why this had struck when I’d been doing all the right things. I showed her the paperwork that the doctor sent home with me. As we discussed it, I noticed that the final thing on the list of why gastritis forms was stress. Then, I realized where the entire problem was based.
As I work with Welfare & Self-Reliance for the Church, my workload has become extremely stressful during this Coronavirus pandemic. My work hours have been long and full of questions and uncertainty. The stress has been greatly increased!
For the days following the emergency room visit, I’ve had stomach pain. I’ve been working to remove the stress from my life and recognize when I’m feeling stressed and loosen the building tension. The nights have been terrible, as I’ve really struggled to fall asleep.
Things have been improving. For two of the last three nights I’ve actually gotten over 8 hours of sleep and the other night I got over 7. This was far better than the past several months. Having Kaneesha here has also strengthened me. It’s been so good to be with her again.
So, back to now... On Kaneesha’s birthday I went to bed, after playing the game--which shall not be named! I quickly fell into a peaceful rest. At about 1:30 I was awakened by my cell phone. My phone doesn’t ring in the night unless an emergency call is made. Dad had fallen.
My mother, Kaneesha and I spent a lot of time, effort, and loving coaxing to get Dad off the ground (near his bathroom), onto a wheelchair and wheeled near his bed, and then up and into bed. His feet were cold, we covered them with a separate blanket, a heat pad, and he was quickly asleep.
This was my first time with Kaneesha during a situation like this. Her strong, confident, cheery voice was such a strength to all of us, and especially to Dad. Also, her physical strength got us through. She seemed to know exactly what to do, where to best stand, and even where to lift. After Dad was in bed and I’d hugged Kaneesha good night I remembered that she had assisted my Grandmother many times as she was first married and going to Utah State University.
I’m so grateful that Kaneesha came to strengthen my spirits, and that we had her physical strength as we helped an exhausted man with such limited memory to get onto his feet, into a wheelchair, and then resting in bed. I’m truly thankful to have such a strong firstborn.
It’s now 3 AM Friday morning. After celebrating Kaneesha’s birthday and awaking to take care of Dad, I couldn’t sleep. Hopefully I’m now tired enough to return to bed and sleep soundly.
On Wednesday night, Kaneesha surprised us and came to visit. Well, she’d visited with Noell about it, but it was a great surprise to me. As I was nearing the end of my work day, around 7PM, I heard Kaneesha’s voice in the adjoining room. Her voice was much more clear than I normally hear when Noell talks with her on the phone, Marco Polo app, or FaceTime. I hoped she was here, but wasn’t sure until the meeting ended and I could come out of my office. It was so great to see her again. It had been a long while since I’d seen her and with the Coronavirus, I didn’t feel comfortable going to visit her. We visited, ate dinner, and played games until after midnight, to celebrate the arrival of her birthday.
On Thursday morning I went about my day, and carried out my work. As 5PM arrived, I was excited to spend some more time with Kaneesha. The day was the most beautiful and warm that we’ve had all week. I suggested that we go for a motorcycle ride. We loaded Tate into a belly pack and I drove him around the yard a little on my XR 400. Kaneesha rode the CRF 100 and Tanner rode the 4 wheeler. After putting around the yard, Kaneesha asked where we were going.
We then headed down the canal to the rapids. We enjoyed visiting at the rapids and Kaneesha checked the temperature of the water. Definitely too cold for swimming. Noell texted and asked if we wanted to also take Dawson, who had just awakened.
We returned for Dawson and Kaneesha loaded him up with her. We then drove down the canal several miles further with both Dawson and Tate. Tanner’s dog Mya is definitely a runner. She ran with us the entire time. Much of the time she had a ball in her mouth—in case we wanted to play fetch. As we stopped several times, she jumped into the canal to cool off and to get a drink. At one point she couldn’t climb out of the steep embankment. Tate and I worked our way down to her and helped her get her front paws on solid ground.
When we returned home, Noell had completed her lemon meringue and chocolate pudding pies for Kaneesha’s birthday. Evidently they decided that would be better than birthday cake this time. I loved the scrumptious decision. Before we ate the desert, we went into town to order take-out at Rupe’s Drive In.
After feeding the twins and eating desert, we sang the Goodworth birthday song:
“As years go by, they seem to do,
The nicest things to you,
For every time you add one more,
You’re 12 months dearer than before.
A very happy birthday,
A very happy birthday,
A very happy birthday,
Especially for you!”
We played games until after midnight. The last game we played was “Cover Your Assets.” It’s probably my least favorite game EVER... Kaneesha tried to catch my pouty face on camera and even the detestful way that I played my cards on video. Perhaps she did, although I’m not certain. When the game finally ended and I completely lost, with basically no money, we headed to bed just after midnight.
It was one of the first nights in weeks where I was completely ready for sleep. Often I’m exhausted by 8 or 9 PM, but by the time we get Tate and Dawson ready for bed, I’ve somehow gotten a second wind and am unable to sleep.
Last Thursday was so different than Kaneesha’s birthday. As work was wrapping up, my back was beginning to ache. By the time we fed the twins and got them to bed, my stomach was very sore. The pain increased into the night until after 2:00 AM we felt it was a gal bladder attack and that I needed to go in for a possible emergency surgery. Tanner drove me in so Mom could be with Dad and Noell could be with Tate and Dawson.
Around 5AM the doctor had finished tests and the morphine had alleviated the pain. It turns out that the first thing they tested for was a heart attack. They checked other things, including the gal bladder and even chron’s disease. They ruled all of them out and the doctor told me that he felt it was gastritis. He told me to watch what I ate, not to eat three hours before going to bed, to maintain a healthy weight, not to sleep on my side, take medicine, etc. All of these I’ve been doing and never had I had an attack like that.
As I returned home and shared my frustration with my mother, I explained how I couldn’t understand why this had struck when I’d been doing all the right things. I showed her the paperwork that the doctor sent home with me. As we discussed it, I noticed that the final thing on the list of why gastritis forms was stress. Then, I realized where the entire problem was based.
As I work with Welfare & Self-Reliance for the Church, my workload has become extremely stressful during this Coronavirus pandemic. My work hours have been long and full of questions and uncertainty. The stress has been greatly increased!
For the days following the emergency room visit, I’ve had stomach pain. I’ve been working to remove the stress from my life and recognize when I’m feeling stressed and loosen the building tension. The nights have been terrible, as I’ve really struggled to fall asleep.
Things have been improving. For two of the last three nights I’ve actually gotten over 8 hours of sleep and the other night I got over 7. This was far better than the past several months. Having Kaneesha here has also strengthened me. It’s been so good to be with her again.
So, back to now... On Kaneesha’s birthday I went to bed, after playing the game--which shall not be named! I quickly fell into a peaceful rest. At about 1:30 I was awakened by my cell phone. My phone doesn’t ring in the night unless an emergency call is made. Dad had fallen.
My mother, Kaneesha and I spent a lot of time, effort, and loving coaxing to get Dad off the ground (near his bathroom), onto a wheelchair and wheeled near his bed, and then up and into bed. His feet were cold, we covered them with a separate blanket, a heat pad, and he was quickly asleep.
This was my first time with Kaneesha during a situation like this. Her strong, confident, cheery voice was such a strength to all of us, and especially to Dad. Also, her physical strength got us through. She seemed to know exactly what to do, where to best stand, and even where to lift. After Dad was in bed and I’d hugged Kaneesha good night I remembered that she had assisted my Grandmother many times as she was first married and going to Utah State University.
I’m so grateful that Kaneesha came to strengthen my spirits, and that we had her physical strength as we helped an exhausted man with such limited memory to get onto his feet, into a wheelchair, and then resting in bed. I’m truly thankful to have such a strong firstborn.
It’s now 3 AM Friday morning. After celebrating Kaneesha’s birthday and awaking to take care of Dad, I couldn’t sleep. Hopefully I’m now tired enough to return to bed and sleep soundly.
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