Lyons, Indiana

I know the road like the back of my hand… passing dilapidated wood barns, buffalo, horses, fields of corn and soy beans, Amish buggies and women in bonnets, unattended produce stands where you take what you want and leave what you can.

My Dad grew up in a small town called Lyons, Indiana.  I've always joked there were more churches and cows than people there.  There isn't a whole lot… the school my Dad attended from K-12 is still an elementary school.  The American Legion where my Grandpa drank his Miller High Life is there.  The church, funeral home, and cemetery where I said farewell to my Grandpa are there.  The land my Dad grew up on, my Uncle Mike's house with the lake, my grandparents' old house that had the pool we all learned to swim in… these are all Lyons to me, permanently in my memory.

Now, the nursing home is a part of that memory.  I'm home for a visit, to spend some time with my Grandma.  I've written about the lung cancer that has plagued her this year, but now she has had a small stroke that causes her to lose some of her lucidity and mobility… she needs help getting to and from the bathroom, getting dressed/showered, getting in and out of bed and her recliner.

I have never been a natural caretaker, but I have learned this week that if you love someone enough, you will do anything you can to take care of that person.  My Grandma has always been the matriarch, the one who cooked the best and took care of her five kids and her many grandkids.  She was at our sporting events and family gatherings and anything she could be at.  My Grandma has loved and cared for me since I was born… I will love and care for her until she leaves this world.

I don't get to see anyone here that often, being so far away.  That's the hardest part.  I know that my family that lives nearby see her often.  They are amazing and have done so much.  I'm so thankful.

Sunset in Lyons

I can't believe how quickly my time here in Indiana is passing… I need more time.  I always need more time.