Mum - May 28,2009We just got home from a visit to my sister, BIL, and mother in Winnipeg. It's always fun to see Wendy and Randy, but is getting sadder and sadder to see Mum. She's in late stages of Alzheimer's now, living on a secure unit in an extended care facility where she's safe and is treated very well. Our visits with her only last 15 minutes or so. She has no recollection of us nor of anyone in her family except occasionally her mother and father. She can still speak very quietly and indistinctly, but can't carry on a conversation. Still, we can see the occasional glimpses of her former self when something makes her chuckle and in her familiar hand gestures. We reassure ourselves that she's in no pain (arthritis) - her brain seems to have forgotten how to register pain - and is cared for and is as content as it is possible for her to be. It seems that she has no emotions left and has forgotten our visit before we're out the door. She spends her time wandering around her unit tidying up, folding papers and small laundry, and resting in whatever room she happens to be near when the need for rest comes over her. I don't think her need to be busy will ever leave her. The staff keep telling us how sweet and cute she is and they seem to genuinely like her. It's hard to reconcile the person she has become over these past few years with the vibrant, energetic, funny, happy person we grew up knowing. That's the person I'm trying to focus on this Mother's Day. She'll be 89 on May 28.
Mum's 88th birthday - May 28, 2009I checked my email when I got home earlier and there was a lovely Mother's Day quote that a dear friend sent me. Maybe you'll enjoy it too. Thank you Mickey.
Your Mother is always with you.
She's the whisper of the leaves as you walk down the street,
she's the smell of certain foods you remember,
flowers you pick and perfume that she wore,
she's the cool hand on your brow when you're not feeling well,
she's your breath in the air on a cold winter's day.
She is the sound of the rain that lulls you to sleep,
the colors of a rainbow, she is Christmas morning.
Your Mother lives inside your laughter.
And she's crystallized in every tear drop.
A mother shows every emotion........... Happiness, sadness, fear, jealousy, love, hate, anger, helplessness, excitement, joy, sorrow.....and all the while, hoping and praying you will only know the good feelings in life.
She's the place you came from, your first home,
and she's the map you follow with every step you take.
She's your first love, your first friend, even your first enemy,
but nothing on earth can separate you. Not time, not space.......not even death!
"The best and most beautiful things cannot be seen or touched - they must be felt with the heart." ~Helen Keller~
Happy Mother's Day to all you mother's and potential mothers out there. Live long and prosper.
