They say your parents are your first teachers.
#Truth
Like most kids I thought my parents hung the moon and were the smartest people around. That lasted until I was about 13 or 14. At that point I couldn’t believe my parents had made it as far as they had without my wise and far superior input. I mean seriously I knew EVERYTHING. On the night of my 21st birthday I taped the following quote to their bedroom door:
When I was a boy girl of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years. Mark Twain
My parents, especially my Dad, laughed and made a point of telling me they were glad I had finally figured it out.
So throughout the years there were times when I leaned heavily on my parents wisdom and times when they leaned heavily on mine especially as they eased ever so slowly into the digital world. Well my Dad did, my mother had no use for it. At one point Dad’s computer served him well as a convenient place to play solitaire just like their DVD player was a rather expensive clock. Once he got the hang of email there was no escaping the many forwards and the endless jokes he passed on.
About a year ago my 93 yr old widowed mother suffered a stroke, followed by another about 2 months later. It threw her into dementia. We could no longer say she was just forgetful. It was too obvious. In due time we moved her to Memory Care where she is today.
There is no doubt that dementia is a cruel disease. I would not wish it on anyone. And yet there is that crazy silver lining that shows up whether we want it to or not.
We were fortunate to be able to do “porch visits” with my Mom until November. After that it was window visits but for various reasons those were not the best. Then it was Facetime. Mom didn’t get those at all. Finally on March 18th we were able to visit in person taking all the necessary precautions.
Today was my fourth in person visit. Each visit is different. Two visits she fell asleep on me and wasn’t at all excited to see me. The third visit found her alert and active. Today’s visit she was in bed taking a nap and was happy to see me.
I have learned not to set expectations about these visits. I stay very much in the present moment with her which is a blessing and a joy. She is teaching me to just be present and more importantly to meet her where she is at and how much she can interact. I slow down and do something I need to do more of..just be.
Today there was nothing but love in the room between us. I greeted her with my usual “Hello Beautiful” She smiled. I am always tickled to see she knows who I am. I am prepared for the day when she doesn’t know me or mistakes me for someone else. I will meet her where she is at when that time comes and if she needs me to be someone from her past, like her mother…well I can do that.
She asked about my husband…a good clue she couldn’t remember his name. It is all okay. She told me she had a surprise visit from her Mom and Dad. I chuckled and said ” Wow that is so nice! I too would be surprised if they came to visit me!” Yes a little dark humor can be a coping mechanism. I saw the comfort she got from that “visit”. She mentioned my Dad and asked where he was. Our answer is always “He is on a business trip” She nodded. There is joy in that as well. She no longer suffers the sadness of his death. She looked up and said “he left without kissing me goodbye” I replied ” I’m sure it was early when he left” She said “True, I will look forward to his kiss when he returns”. I quietly sent out a message to the universe to have Dad “visit”her like my grandparents did earlier.
My mother has rounded third base and is heading home in the final inning of her life. It is not without its starts and stops. It has multiple hiccups. She is still teaching me and showing me that love knows no bounds, that sitting, being present, slowing down are good values to hang onto and perpetuate. I practiced it yesterday when I plopped down with my almost 14 yr old granddaughter on a huge bean bag chair. Our heads were touching. She was showing me something on her phone and we were laughing, talking about life, school, boys and cooking. She has obviously not figured out that I don’t KNOW everything although I think grandparents get a pass on this phase of teenagers. I was in no hurry to move or have the moment end. It was my favorite part of our visit. Thanks Mom.
If Covid had allowed I would have crawled in bed next to my Mom today and put my head next to hers. I got as close as I could. My phone was off, I had no place to be but there. She smiled. Mom’s day refreshes multiple times a day. She has reached the point where nothing really troubles her and joy abounds.
Do I wish I could have her totally back? Of course, who wouldn’t? I am grateful that I have found a peaceful place to be with her in my heart and treasure each time I get to hear her say ” I love you too! Bushels and bushels.”
One of our porch visits 🙂
Thanks Mom for the life lessons, all of them… love you.
