by Vicki Dello Joio | Jun 12, 2014 | Aging Parents, Uncategorized
Cleopatra 3rd day in her new home
Just like her favorite animal companion, my mama has 9 lives. Back in her home with a brand new senior kitty, Mama told me she woke up this morning in her own bed with the sensation of a little cat body pressed up against her back. Life is full of small joys and accomplishments!
“Renegade-Woo” Coach Vicki Dello Joio, founder of The Way of Joy: A Spiritual Fitness Program, brings together East Coast Attitude and West Coast energy consciousness as a master teacher, transformative speaker and performing artist. Integrating over 40 years of Chi Kung practice with other martial arts as well as her work in Yoga, Feldenkreis, physical fitness and theater, Vicki has developed a dynamic set of tools to transform obstacles into opportunities and enhance creative potential. Book: The Way of Joy, CD: Short Meditations for a Busy Life
by Vicki Dello Joio | May 28, 2014 | Aging Parents, Uncategorized
Look Ma, No oxygen!
When my mama said, in my last vlog, that your prayers and good wishes were making her feel better, she wasn’t kidding. Even after a walk, her oxygen saturation is high and she is asking about going back to her apartment.
This evening was all about love, celebration and presence. I read some more of your words to her and she had tears in her eyes as she said “That’s so beautiful!” Your stories, energy and general kind wishes are really hitting home. Distance healing at play here.
Plus we are doing qigong every day and adding some BEMER sessions for her lungs. Hooray. It is a night of WOO HOO!
“Renegade-Woo” Coach Vicki Dello Joio, founder of The Way of Joy: A Spiritual Fitness Program, brings together East Coast Attitude and West Coast energy consciousness as a master teacher, transformative speaker and performing artist. Integrating over 40 years of Chi Kung practice with other martial arts as well as her work in Yoga, Feldenkreis, physical fitness and theater, Vicki has developed a dynamic set of tools to transform obstacles into opportunities and enhance creative potential. Book: The Way of Joy, CD: Short Meditations for a Busy Life
by Vicki Dello Joio | May 25, 2014 | Aging Parents, Uncategorized
While Mama still has energy, we practice daily qigong
I’ve continued to be deeply moved by the responses and stories that you have shared with me as comments on this video blog and to my Social Media posts. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for offering your own stories, thoughts, prayers, and loving energy to both my mom and me during this time. It means more than I can say — to both of us.
Yesterday I asked mama, who has seen my videos, posts, and your responses, how she felt about my creating this blog to share these moments during her end stages of her life — to check in to see whether it felt ok or if she would prefer to keep this journey private. Her response was so typical of her strength, courage, and “no bullshit” attitude towards life that I wanted to share her words with you.
She told me she feels both flattered and amazed because, as she put it, she had no idea that “so many people would give a shit.” She added “Dying is not something I’m ashamed of. It’s not like a venereal disease or telling people about some horrible thing I’ve done like robbed a bank or murdered someone. Everyone has to face this sometime and maybe it helps them. I think privacy equals loneliness, like somehow I should be shut away. I would resent that. And what people say makes me so much less lonely, that they care.”
That said, she seems to be actually getting a little stronger, even though she does have a terminal illness. In fact, she just called me to say she had just had a wonderful shower, the first one in a long time with the help of a kind aide.
But enough of my take on it all, here she is…
Renegade-Woo” Vicki Dello Joio, founder of The Way of Joy: A Spiritual Fitness Program, brings together East Coast Attitude and West Coast energy consciousness as a master teacher, transformative speaker and performing artist. Integrating over 40 years of Chi Kung practice with other martial arts as well as her work in Yoga, Feldenkreis, physical fitness and theater, Vicki has developed a dynamic set of tools to transform obstacles into opportunities and enhance creative potential. Book: The Way of Joy, CD: Short Meditations for a Busy Life
by Vicki Dello Joio | May 23, 2014 | Aging Parents, Uncategorized
“Want to practice qigong?” I asked. “What a Great Idea!” Mama answered.
It was one of those rushed days, so I ate a hard boiled egg for a late lunch as I was driving to a meeting — Not healthy, I know, I know.
But with the scent of the egg, I had a kind of Highway 24-Proust moment— a memory of my mom picking me up after school when I was about 7 to take me to my very first theater audition in New York City. She brought a hard boiled egg and an apple for me to eat in the yellow cab on our way downtown. It all seemed so exotic and sophisticated.
So with the scent of an egg, I had a chance to remember how many times she saw something in me and went out of her way to be sure I’d have a shot at my dream. A good day for gratitude.
Speaking of food memories…
Renegade-Woo” Vicki Dello Joio, founder of The Way of Joy: A Spiritual Fitness Program, brings together East Coast Attitude and West Coast energy consciousness as a master teacher, transformative speaker and performing artist. Integrating over 40 years of Chi Kung practice with other martial arts as well as her work in Yoga, Feldenkreis, physical fitness and theater, Vicki has developed a dynamic set of tools to transform obstacles into opportunities and enhance creative potential. Book: The Way of Joy, CD: Short Meditations for a Busy Life
by Vicki Dello Joio | May 22, 2014 | Aging Parents
Gems from the hospital floor: Mom as she maneuvers the oxygen tube into the bathroom: “I’m getting pretty good at this. Soon I’ll be able to rope horses.”
After my 91 y.o. mama was diagnosed with cancer again recently, I began to share some of the gifts and challenges I’ve been facing since she was taken to the ER and then to the hospital last week.
I’ve been so moved by the outpouring of support from friends in my community, particularly in response to some of my Facebook posts, I decided to share some of the process in a video blog. I know many of you have gone through, are going through or will go through some kind of process with a loved one in their last stage of life. I would love to hear your stories and responses along the way.
For me, I feel like once again I’m being called to utilize all of my tools in very down to earth ways to get through these days with the kind of grit and grace I inherited from my mom (whose name, by no coincidence, is Grayce).
So here is the first mini-post of many to come…
Renegade-Woo” Vicki Dello Joio, founder of The Way of Joy: A Spiritual Fitness Program, brings together East Coast Attitude and West Coast energy consciousness as a master teacher, transformative speaker and performing artist. Integrating over 40 years of Chi Kung practice with other martial arts as well as her work in Yoga, Feldenkreis, physical fitness and theater, Vicki has developed a dynamic set of tools to transform obstacles into opportunities and enhance creative potential. Book: The Way of Joy, CD: Short Meditations for a Busy Life
