Sunday Update:

Today was family time - Tim is here from Christchurch for a few days and Joel also came to see his dad. It was really nice.

When we arrived at the Hospice this morning we found Roy looking very frail.  Things had not gone very well this morning for him due to excruciating pain in his right leg - which is still very swollen.  Tim commented later that he thought Roy had been better the day before than he was this morning.

While we were all there the doctor came to see Roy and it was very good that she could talk to all of us.  They have dropped the methadone a bit, but will be increasing it again because Roy's pain is increasing.  We talked about Roy coming home, which he wants to be able to do and if things become stable this will be looked at further.  The doc also told us she'd talked to Roy about where he wanted to be when he is dying, and initially Roy thought the hospice would be the best place to be, but the doc assured him and us that things can be put in place to make it possible for him to be at home.  Which thinking about it I think I prefer - but we'll see what happens.

The doctor is really really lovely and she is also very astute - she commented that she thought that although Roy's body is weak and failing his spirit is still very strong. And I think she's right.

We left Roy at lunchtime to have his lunch and have a sleep as he was very tired and having trouble staying awake.

When we returned at just after 2pm Roy was much more 'with it' and we had a lovely few hours together.  While we had been away Roy's sister and his Mum had been to visit which he really appreciated and during the afternoon a niece and her husband popped in for a quick visit which was also very nice.  Roy doesn't talk a lot and sometimes the things he does say don't really make sense.  He is also still very busy even though he's awake with imaginary things - brushing his teeth, drinking a non-existent cup of coffee,  doing a puzzle and collecting fluffies.  He does appreciate people coming to see him and I want to encourage anyone out there thinking of doing so that if you want to see Roy and say good-bye, actually he prefers 'till we meet again' then you need to think about doing this sooner rather than later.

The hospice has an open door policy for visitors, but be aware that you might arrive at an inconvenient time and you might have to wait before you can see Roy.  When and if he comes home visitors are also welcome, but we do not have an open door policy so please knock or ring the bell.  Again at times it might not be convenient for you to visit so please be understanding.

I found this prayer that I just wanted to share.

Prayer of Trust:

Lord, I trust in You. I believe in You. I hope in You. You are my confidence, my assurance. I lean upon You, for You are my Rock; I depend upon You, for You are my Provider; I delight in You, for You are the joy of my life. My heart rests in You; my faith responds to You, my soul rejoices in You.

I trust You in life - for the wisdom of Your ways, for the blessings of Your favor, for the sufficiency of Your grace, for the power of Your Spirit, and for the endurance that comes from Your strength.

I trust You for all things.
I trust You with all things.
I trust You in all things.
I trust You through all things.
I trust You above all things.

Amen

Until tomorrow.

Love and blessings
Jolanda