Doreen McGettigan

Today’s post is part of the annual A-to-Z Blogging Challenge. Each day of April (except Sunday,) we write a post corresponding with that day’s letter of the alphabet. For more information on the challenge and its creator visit:

http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com

My theme for this years’ A-Z Challenge is An Intimate Look at the Homeless and Mental Health Epidemic in America which just happens to be the subtitle of my next book, The Stranger in My Recliner. The book is the true story of Sophie.  She was the eighty-year-old homeless woman that my husband brought home one night. She lived with us for nearly three –years. The book will be out this fall.

An excerpt from The Stranger In My Recliner:

Little Feet and Broken Hearts

My granddaughters Morgan and Avery were coming to spend the weekend with us. They were only three and six-years-old. I was worried about how they would react to Sophie. I was also worried about how Sophie would react to them. I shuddered when the thought of her harming them popped into my head. I felt I knew enough of her personality at this point to doubt she would harm a child. I would be diligent anyway and not let my guard down.

I asked her if she had any grandchildren and she told me again that her son had a cute little girl. The little girl’s mother was the one Soph told me had plastic surgery so her son would think she was younger and get back together with her. She would not tell me the woman’s name or the little girl’s name. She told me her and her son were planning to get an apartment together when the woman tricked him into moving to California with her. Sophie said he then left her sitting on a sidewalk, crying with no place to go.

I think that girlfriend deserves a man like her son and vise versa. If he left his own mother on the sidewalk, homeless, did she think for one minute, he would never leave her?

Another concern with the kids coming to visit were the two little dogs we just rescued. They were not used to being around small children so we had no idea how they would react. I was nervous. I read a couple of blog posts on how to introduce dogs to children. There was a lot to learn. We decided to have the dogs on their leashes so we could control them when the kids first came into the house. We also gave the kids special homemade peanut butter treats to feed the dogs. Those treats would be reserved for only the kids to give to them.

Lance and Louie; Louie and Lance…

I worried for nothing. It was love at first sight for the dogs and the kids. Lance and Louie followed the little girls around like lovesick little puppies. They continue to do that today. All we have to do is say the kids are coming over and they head for the front window to sit and wait, tails wagging.Sophie was getting used to having the television in our living room to herself. She watched the Soap channel 24/7. I was noticing more and more that she was not even going into her room to sleep at night. She had been sleeping in the blue recliner, in her clothes. I needed to figure out a way to put a stop to that. I decided we needed a TV for her room. The one we got was larger and nicer than the one we had in the living room but she still refused to watch TV in her room.

In the meantime, she seemed to get agitated around the fifth episode of Dora the Explorer so I took the girls upstairs into our bedroom to watch their shows. It annoyed me but it seemed easier to bring the girls upstairs. Everybody would be happy that way, except for me.

By Sunday afternoon, it dawned on me that I had not stopped the entire weekend. I cooked, served, cleaned, shopped, bathed the little ones, the dogs and started Sophie’s baths and did all of our laundry. I was exhausted. Not that I was one bit unhappy I was just plain tired. All in all the weekend went well. The dogs didn’t bite the kids the kids didn’t bite the dogs. Sophie couldn’t bite anybody because she didn’t have any teeth.

I’m one of Lisa’s Live Wires! Lisa is a challenge co-host Lisa Buie-Collard.

I am excited to be working with this bunch of fabulous bloggers …

Rhonda Albom –   Bob R. Milne –   Tamera Narayan –  Stephanie Faris –

Heather McCubbin –   Randi Lee