Dollie Fuller - My Walk With Mom: My Walk With Mom

My Walk With Mom: A Diary of Events, thoughts, and Feelings.

Copyright 2021 by Dollie Fuller.

Published in the United States of America.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the author except as provided by USA copyright law.

All Bible citations are from the King James Version.

The opinions expressed by the author are not necessarily
those of ReadersMagnet, LLC.

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Contents

Acknowledgments

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First I would like to thank God for all His many blessings. I will continue to put Him first in my life because without Him, I could do nothing.

I would also like to acknowledge three people: my late husband, Clarence, and my brother, Daniel. I thank Clarence for not giving me a hard time about taking in my mother. He never complained and did whatever he could to make her life comfortable. I believe in my heart that he cared about her deeply, and with his help, I was able to make Mom believe that our home was her home also. It made me feel good that first time I heard her say, I want to go home, especially when I knew she was talking about the home we shared. It is with great sadness that Clarence passed away on 5/7/20 from Covid-19 complications.

For years, Daniel held down the fort alone. He lives in Hemingway, South Carolina, which was over two hours from Moms house in Chesterfield. He traveled back and forth, taking Mom to her many medical appointments, while keeping the family abreast of her condition. In addition, after I moved back to South Carolina, he was there for me whenever I needed him, and I thank him for everything.

Finally, my sister Cathy (Stacy) retired early from Yale University and relocated to South Carolina to help care for Mom. She was a big help and we all appreciated her sacrifice. She purchased a house around the corner and would be there within minutes when called. We all loved having her close.

Moments in Life

There are moments in life when you miss someone so much that you just want to pick them from your dreams and hug them for real! So cherish them while they are with you.

When the door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we dont see the one that has been opened for us.

Dont go for looks; they can deceive. Dont go for wealth; even that fades away. Go for someone who makes you smile, because it takes only a smile to make a dark day seem bright. Find the one who makes your heart smile.

Dream what you want to dream, go where you want to go, be what you want to be, because you have only one life and one chance to do all the things you want to do.

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, and enough hope to make you happy.

The happiest of people dont necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.

The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you cant go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you were smiling. Live your life so at the end, youre the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying. Dont count the yearscount the memories. Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take; but by the moments that take our breath away!

Anonymous

Preface

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When I wrote my first book, Gaining Strength through Life Struggles: A Story of Survival , I discussed my childhood and being raised in a rural community with three sisters and two brothers. Since that book was published, my mother went through a period of decline and eventually suffered serious illness and death. In this, my second book, I describe the ordeal of watching the steady decline of someone I felt would always be there and dealing with the myriad attendant problems. I hope that this book will demonstrate to others who are going through the same situation that they are not alone.

All Bible citations are from the King James Version.

Introduction

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My Mom

This book is a tribute to my mother. She was born on February 4, 1923 in Youngstown, Ohio. She married my father on February 22, 1940, They had six children. My father died on October 2, 1985, and my oldest brother passed away on March 7, 1998.

My mother led a full, happy, and active life. She enjoyed spending time with her family and friends. She confessed Christ at an early age and joined Grove Baptist Church in Chesterfield, South Carolina, in 1943. My mother was a faithful member until she became ill and was unable to attend church services anymore. She passed away on June 6, 2010, at McLeod Hospice House.

My mother inspired me more than she knew. Whenever anything happened, she would say, Dollie will write it down in her book. She bragged so much on my notes that I had no other choice but to keep them up-to-date. I am so glad I did. I told her often how much I loved her, and she told me frequently how she felt about me.

Mom, I tried daily to show you how much I cared because I never wanted you to think for a minute that you were a burden to me. We might not have always shared the same views, but your wisdom was something I was very proud of. Thank you for trusting me with your innermost thoughts and providing me with so much of our familys history. I thank God for all the memories.

This diary spans a three-year period that culminated in my mothers passing. It started from a desire to keep track of everything, so I wouldnt forget anything. I read some of it to my mom, and she seemed to enjoy it very much. I told her that I was writing a book about her, and she loved that idea. She wanted people to know what she was going through. Taking care of my mother was a difficult challenge for me, but the struggle was strengthened by love. We were faced with so many obstacles, some large and some small, but by the grace of God, we managed to resolve them one by one.

Although everything in this project is true, it is still from my eyes. Yes, they are views and observations flowing from my heart. I hope this book will inspire others who may be going through similar situations. Yes, it will be a challenge, but you can make it. We must always remember that God is in control of everything. We must put all of our trust in the Lord and His divine wisdom because He will never put more on us than we can bear.

Chapter 1

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A New Beginning

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31