He moved her chair to the driveway and, staying hopeful, waited for her to come home from the hospital.
And she did.
This week, we moved the patriarch and matriarch of our family into Woodland Heights, a multi-level community for the over-55 crowd.
Of course, Daddy Mac, as we affectionately call my husband’s father, is much older. He is 92. And his bride of 67 years is 87.
Gratitude for the Generations Before
We are grateful to my husband’s parents, who worked and saved their whole lives, for making their growing old easier and this transition into a community of like-minded peers, possible. Along with lots of canes and walkers, Woodland Heights has happy hour every day (their favorite thing), bingo (my favorite thing), and an indoor saltwater pool!
Settling them into this community is a walk down memory lane for me. After my father died, my mother also chose to move here. Woodland Heights holds a special place in my heart, not only because of the time I spent here with her, but also because the community itself was built in the 70’s by my friend’s father, the late Mr. Pat Riley: a man who was prominently known for bringing the sport of swimming to town. In 1989, he was inducted into the Arkansas Swimming Hall of Fame and, before that, the Arkansas Tennis Hall of Fame.
Fitness was Mr. Riley’s work and passion. Before building Woodland Heights, he founded the Little Rock Racquet Club, which grew into five additional locations across the region.
Moving is Hard
My youngest son Jack, (the one that got away) “Spidey-sense” must have been working. He surprised us by taking off work and coming to help us move the old folks into their new digs. And it is a good thing he did.
There are so many little trips that stretch on for days as you hang pictures, populate drawers, and remember all the little things you left at the old house. Being in the middle of Flag Season at flagandbanner.com, our other kids were too busy and, in our absence, needed to stay at the shop.
Wednesday was the old folk’s first night together in their new place. Gran Ann, Grady’s mom, loves it! But Grady’s dad, Daddy Mac, keeps asking, “What do we do now?”
The simple answer is always the same, “Stay Hopeful.”
Get Kerry’s latest blog post every week by entering your information under Join Our Mail List in the side bar, checking the appropriate box, and clicking Subscribe. xoxoxo
