Marlene Wiker:  

Life It has been a very busy year. Jim, my husband , has been in the nursing home for more than a year now and for the most part has forgotten who I am. It has been very hard and maybe even worse on the kids to see their dad this way. I have had to clean the place up and it was quite a challenge. For the past few years Jim would not let me do much in the yard. It was part of his illness. He has Lewy-Body Dementia. It is a very horrible disease. We will be married 47 years this Nov. and it is very sad to think he won't even know it or me. I can't take him out anymore for safety reasons. I finally decided to start living again, advice from friends and family. I was having a very hard time as summer approached thinking about cleaning the place up. I live on a farm and have 19 acres to take care of. It had been let go for so long. In March I met Stan, someone I knew years ago and he offered to help. Well, God does send guardian angels. He has this place looking great. In fact, I have had people stop to tell me they are so glad to see we moved in and cleaned it up. I then have to tell them I have lived here over 20 years. It's funny to see their face then. He has helped with so much and given my life purpose. He took me to Starved Rock for my 65th birthday and we are leaving for the Dell's next week. In Oct. we are going to the Smokies and any where else he wants to go. Jim and I never traveled and I am enjoying it. I had to have my dog, Muffin, put to sleep in July. I'd had her thirteen years and she was all I had left here at home. I miss her so much but now I have the freedom to go. I got a John Deere riding lawn mower for the first time and I love mowing now. The more Stan and I cleaned the yard the more I had to mow. I have mowed over several bushes and flowers but I will get used to it. I sold my daughter and her husband 5 acres in the pasture. They are going to start building soon. It will be so nice having her close. My oldest son, Jim, had his book published this year. It was so exciting when I was at starved Rock in the gift shop and saw his book there. I am very proud of him. He was also made an Associate Research Scientist at the Illinois Natural History Survey. He is one of very few who has this title with just a high school education. My youngest son and his wife and daughter are doing great. Emma is now 2 1/2 years old and absolutely the joy of my life. I retired from the School Board after 12 years of service. I was very proud to have been given that long but I needed to moved on with my life. We remodeled, built on, built a new intermediate school and a beautiful sports complex while I was there. Our sports complex is one of the best in the state for our size school. I sing with a couple. We do southern gospel and are called The Harmony Trio. We sing somewhere almost every weekend. There is such peace in music. I have decided I can sit and feel sorry for myself for what has happened to Jim or I can get up and live. I chose the later. God has taken care of me so far and I chose to let him continue. Stan has made life worth living again and I thank God for that. Well, it's time to update. It's been two years since my husband went to the nursing home. He has gotten worse and it isn't any easier to see him like this. I am waiting for my new grandbaby to come in Sept. Emma is 3 1/2 now and oh so beautiful, of course. She's gramma's girl. Stan and I have done a lot of traveling. Went to Key West in Feb. WOW! We are still working my house. Old houses need lots of work but it is so nice to see it back in shape. I'm stil singing and loving it more and more. I've met so may WONDERFUL people and life is good. Well, my husband, Jim, passed away Oct. 17th. I was on my way, on a Sunday morning, with my friends to sing at a revival in Fraklin, Ill. and they called from the nursing home to let me know he was going to the hospital with pneumonia. He was there till Wed then went to Hospice. It was an answered prayer that his suffering is over. Emma's little s...Expand for more