August 10, 2025

It was quiet when I woke up.  It was quiet while I was eating my breakfast.  I waited for Laudi, Daddy’s caregiver, to arrive.  It was so quiet that I thought maybe Daddy passed away in his sleep.  Laudi arrived via Uber today.  She’s been working a lot and she’s doing extra shifts this weekend because our weekend caregiver isn’t available.  She offered to help because we didn’t have anyone else and she didn’t want Daddy to be without assistance.



As she started her shift, I gave Laudi a brief update of what happened yesterday after she left.  Then, she peeked in Daddy’s room.  He was still asleep.  Moments later, I heard them talking.  Okay, I thought, he did not pass away yet.  I went to his room to offer to make breakfast.  When I walked in, he was talking to Laudi, smiling.  This is not a common occurrence.  He is a grumpy 89 year old man.  Some days, he is downright mean.  It’s his pain, dementia, and frustration.  



When I delivered the ham and cheese omelet, toasted raisin bread, and coffee, they were chatting in Pangasinan.  That’s their way of connecting with each other on a deeper level.  Laudi asked me to put the Sunday mass on YouTube.  They watched the Sunday mass together.  I left the room, but I could still hear them.  Daddy was partly asleep but she made sure to tell him from time to time what’s going on so he can still follow, even if he closed his eyes.  Then, during the ‘peace be with you’ portion, she said to him “peace be with you, tay!”.



He doesn’t normally do Sunday mass. I tried to put it on before, but he always tells us to turn it off.  I’m glad Laudi got him to do mass today.  



When we were getting ready for lunch, she said that he seems to be in a good mood today.  This is rare.  This past Friday, he was in so much pain.  He was irritable and agitated.  So, when I heard that he is in a good mood, I again felt grateful that Laudi’s here today.  



Is the end approaching?  Perhaps.  Who knows?  I may just be emotional today because yesterday was Kuya’s birthday.  We still celebrate his birthday even though he passed away years ago.  At the online mass, they played the song “Pananalig”.  This is a song about unconditional love that provides comfort even in times of sadness and uncertainty.  This is what the caregivers do.  This is hard for me to do, and that is why I am grateful for their service.  I’m especially grateful today.



In the afternoon, they sang together.  I heard him sing his favorite Frank Sinatra song, My Way.  I’m glad that she’s here to give Daddy a good day.  I hope that she had a good day too.


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