Good morning!
I woke this morning to thoughts of my Mom…
As some of you know, my Mom has been struggling with Alzheimer’s for the last 8 years…
Originally I didn’t understand what was happening when her symptoms started appearing…
She had always been so smart. Intuitive. Full of love for her children and her grandchildren…
Then one day I got a confusing call from Mom. She had been babysitting my daughters, and something had happened…
I rushed to her house to find an ambulance out front, with Mom inside. She seemed fine, so I went into the house and found a police officer holding my little girl Morgie, while my daughter Erin was standing next to them crying…
Apparently Mom had taken them on a walk. She must have gotten confused. Frightened. So when she got home, she called 911. Hence the ambulance and the police officer…
She never really explained to me what had happened…
Always a proud person, Mom was probably embarrassed and didn’t want me to think even for a second that she wasn’t able to watch over my daughters who she loved so much…
That makes me sad.
Her symptoms grew over the years. She would ask the same questions repeatedly. She would get lost easily. She would get confused and frightened easily…
I am ashamed to admit that some of her issues caused me frustration. Sometimes even anger…
I too was probably confused and frightened…
As Mom’s health declined, she and my Dad moved into my sister’s home near Rockford. She has been able to spend the last several years in a loving home, which has been a blessing for me and given me some amount of peace…
Yesterday, my sister sent me a text, “Hi, Ken, Mom has been having a rough go lately…”
So, filled with emotion, I drove out to Rockford to see Mom…
She is not doing real well right now. She is not eating. Sleeping most of the time, she spends her day drifting in and out of consciousness. Her body is shutting down, just as her mind started to several years ago…
Fortunately, she is still surrounded by love and tenderness…
So, today is a day I am choosing to live with love in my heart…
Love for the people in Mom’s life that are taking care of her in her final days…
Love for the people I am fortunate to have in my life. Love for my family. Love for the stranger. Love for the friend…
But most of all, love for Mom…
Ken
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