Raising Mommy

Never thought I would be "raising" my own mommy. Here I am 27 years old and that is exactly what I feel like I am doing. For those of you who do not know, my mom moved in with us this past week. She got laid off a year ago from her secretary job at an auto plant in Michigan. Since then she has applied for social security disability and has been denied. Apparently that is the way it goes the first time you apply. So, now she is in the process of fighting that decision. That could take two years!!!!
My mom just turned 60 on Monday but due to all of her medical issues she seems a lot older than that. She hunches over when she walks because her feet are so bad it hurts to walk on them. This then makes her back hurt. She cannot lift things because of all the surgeries she has had on her stomach. She needs hearing aids for both ears.....which she has failed to get because they are too expensive. And she just does not take care of herself in general !!! She does not eat well. She does not drink water. She smokes and drinks coffee all the time.
So here is where the raising mommy part comes in. The roles are reversed in so many ways. I have to remind her to sit down and eat breakfast. I have had to make phone calls to see if there are programs available for people who cannot afford hearing aids......and there are programs out there!!! She just does not think to make phone calls and ask questions about those things.
There are just lots of things I am overwhelmed by right now. How do you help someone when they do not want to help themselves? I know that all I can do is encourage her in positive ways but it is SO frustrating to watch her do things that are harmful to her body!!! And then to hear her go on and on about how she is SO tired and she cannot understand why she just cannot get it together. Granted she has been through a lot but a lot of her issues come from her lack of care for herself.
I have the desire to serve her and help her in whatever ways I can. I really do. The reality of it is, even if she gets the disability it probably will not cover rent, medical bills, groceries, and utilities and stuff. So.......she may be with us forever. We will need to do something about our housing situation if that is the case. She needs her own space. At LEAST her own bedroom, if not was family room and bathroom of her own too. So that has been on my mind A LOT!!! We would have to sell our house.....in this market.....and then find a bigger house for a cheap price!!!! YIKES!!!! But I know that God is bigger than all of this stuff. I just pray that He makes it clear what direction we might need to go in and when. I think my mom and I will both go crazy if we have to live exactly the way we are now for for years and years, ya know?
To conclude, I would ask for prayers for the condition of my heart. That I would be thankful that my mom is here and that we can help her. Pray that God would help me in the times when I get so annoyed and frustrated. There is sin in my heart at those times for sure. There are some things that I just need to let go.
I once again covet your prayers!!!
Oh yeah and do not forget that we have a new baby due in March.
That means, husband and wife, 3 kids, grandma, and 4 cats in a 1,300 sq foot home!!!! WOW!!!