For the last few weeks, I've been carefully going through my mother-in-law Merike's papers and records. Why? She was hospitalized at Howard Young, Woodruff, back in December. There she had surgery on both feet for some rather nasty infections. She was moved to Rennes Rehab in Rhinelander. The plan was for 2 to 3 weeks of rehab, and then she would return home. That's not going to happen. Grandma can barely walk due to those foot wounds. She's out of breath and weary after a visit of only 10 minutes or so. So the new care plan is for her to remain in the Rennes Rehab in Rhinelander for long-term care.
So why am I going through Grandma's records? I am her Financial Power of Attorney. Since Grandma's rehab has "plateaued," and she is remaining in the nursing home, that means she will be a private-pay nursing home resident. However, nursing homes are costly. Her financial assets are meager, so she will burn through those reserves rather quickly. So this transition also means "Title 19," "spend-down," and then Medicaid. All of this is a bit more than a Northwestern College grad with a Liberal Arts Degree can figure out, so we have an elder care attorney to lead us through this labyrinth of paperwork.
Birth certificate, naturalization papers, bank balances, insurance, will, trust, annuities, pension, social security, Medicare, property deed: it's enough to make my eyes glaze over. Thankfully, up until the last few years, Grandma's filing system was pretty good. I have been able to locate needed documents in her filing cabinet or in her "vertical, archaeological" filing system - the stack of papers on top of the filing cabinet. It was there, on the top, that I found the yellowed leaf from the March 2, 1992, Fort Wayne News Sentinel. A full page ad from the Lutheran Hospital, Fort Wayne. The heading? "There's Always Someone New at Lutheran Hospital." I searched the page. Sure enough, there's my little conehead! Victoria Ann Schwanke, 7 lbs, 10 oz., November 29, 1991. (bottom right in picture)
Tori is Grandma's only granddaughter, and her first grandchild. So Grandma carefully filed this newspaper clipping in between trust information, pension, deed-important, official records. This clipping was just as important, maybe more.
And it has reminded me of what's most important in life, as I also work through the process of updating my will, setting up a trust, preplanning and paying for my funeral, "getting my affairs in order." I want to be a good steward of my property and financial assets, so I don't leave a mess for my family. But even more important? My family. Daughter, son-in-law, baby brudder, sister-in-law, nieces and nephews. Each one precious to the Lord. Each one bought and paid for with his blood. (Psalm 127:3, Proverbs 19:14)
Even more important? Living my life as a redeemed child of God. Structuring my days--not just around "retirement-ish," ice fishing, hunting, Canada trips, or Sheepshead, but treasuring each day as a gift from the Lord. A gift to be lived to his glory. A gift to be shared.
That's why I plan to show this yellowed newspaper clipping to my daughter, perhaps in a future visit at the nursing home with Grandma. I hope it will offer a "teachable moment" as to what's most important in life--more important than whether we can stay living in our own home or need to hurdle into a new phase of life in a nursing home. More important than making house and car payments, budgeting for utilities, clothes, food, and insurance.
What's most important? It's my family. It's yours. It's our Spirit-worked faith that makes us God's blood-bought children, whether we're young or old.
1 John 3:1-3 "See the kind of love the Father has given us that we should be called children of God, and that is what we are! The world does not know us, because it did not know him. Dear friends, we are children of God now, but what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when he is revealed we will be like him, and we will see him as he really is. Everyone who has this hope purifies himself, just as Jesus is pure."
Privileged to Serve,
Rev. Glenn Schwanke
So why am I going through Grandma's records? I am her Financial Power of Attorney. Since Grandma's rehab has "plateaued," and she is remaining in the nursing home, that means she will be a private-pay nursing home resident. However, nursing homes are costly. Her financial assets are meager, so she will burn through those reserves rather quickly. So this transition also means "Title 19," "spend-down," and then Medicaid. All of this is a bit more than a Northwestern College grad with a Liberal Arts Degree can figure out, so we have an elder care attorney to lead us through this labyrinth of paperwork.
Birth certificate, naturalization papers, bank balances, insurance, will, trust, annuities, pension, social security, Medicare, property deed: it's enough to make my eyes glaze over. Thankfully, up until the last few years, Grandma's filing system was pretty good. I have been able to locate needed documents in her filing cabinet or in her "vertical, archaeological" filing system - the stack of papers on top of the filing cabinet. It was there, on the top, that I found the yellowed leaf from the March 2, 1992, Fort Wayne News Sentinel. A full page ad from the Lutheran Hospital, Fort Wayne. The heading? "There's Always Someone New at Lutheran Hospital." I searched the page. Sure enough, there's my little conehead! Victoria Ann Schwanke, 7 lbs, 10 oz., November 29, 1991. (bottom right in picture)
Tori is Grandma's only granddaughter, and her first grandchild. So Grandma carefully filed this newspaper clipping in between trust information, pension, deed-important, official records. This clipping was just as important, maybe more.
And it has reminded me of what's most important in life, as I also work through the process of updating my will, setting up a trust, preplanning and paying for my funeral, "getting my affairs in order." I want to be a good steward of my property and financial assets, so I don't leave a mess for my family. But even more important? My family. Daughter, son-in-law, baby brudder, sister-in-law, nieces and nephews. Each one precious to the Lord. Each one bought and paid for with his blood. (Psalm 127:3, Proverbs 19:14)
Even more important? Living my life as a redeemed child of God. Structuring my days--not just around "retirement-ish," ice fishing, hunting, Canada trips, or Sheepshead, but treasuring each day as a gift from the Lord. A gift to be lived to his glory. A gift to be shared.
That's why I plan to show this yellowed newspaper clipping to my daughter, perhaps in a future visit at the nursing home with Grandma. I hope it will offer a "teachable moment" as to what's most important in life--more important than whether we can stay living in our own home or need to hurdle into a new phase of life in a nursing home. More important than making house and car payments, budgeting for utilities, clothes, food, and insurance.
What's most important? It's my family. It's yours. It's our Spirit-worked faith that makes us God's blood-bought children, whether we're young or old.
1 John 3:1-3 "See the kind of love the Father has given us that we should be called children of God, and that is what we are! The world does not know us, because it did not know him. Dear friends, we are children of God now, but what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when he is revealed we will be like him, and we will see him as he really is. Everyone who has this hope purifies himself, just as Jesus is pure."
Privileged to Serve,
Rev. Glenn Schwanke
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