Suppertime

Mother and Rob, June 2010

Finally, finally, finally I got up for a visit with Mother.  It has been months and months and I was a bit afraid that she would look much deteriorated from the last time I saw her.  You tend to notice such things more after a long absence, I find.
 

But that was not the case.  Maybe because her hair is now back to being cut as she always had it or maybe because my mind is playing tricks, she looked to me more like herself than she has in some time.  That's not to say that she's always been a zombie who can't feed herself or get out of a chair without a Hoyer lift or that her hands have always been curled into little balls.  Her face just physically reminded me more of the woman I once knew as my mother than she has previously.
 

I met my brother, Rob (pictured here), there for her suppertime and I fed her beef stew, cauliflower, and lemon pudding, washed down with the cranberry juice that has been thickened to help her know she needs to swallow it.  She did open her eyes for a bit during supper and a bit afterwards, and she did speak once.  That was when we rolled into the TV room and noticed that the Food channel was on.  We were the only ones in the room.  Recalling that neither of us has ever had a domestic bone in our bodies, I said to her, "Oh no...we don't want the food channel on do we?"  She said, "No!" faster than I could type it.
 

Rob is the one who visits regularly now as I continue to grind away at working out her financial issues with the IRS and filling out the annual reports for the courts, Medicaid, and Social Security.
 

My apologies for the lack of posting for so long.  As I get this new website up and running, I hope to be better about keeping up.  I will also be moving the older posts from the old site to this one, but that is six years' worth of posts, so it may take awhile.
 

Thank you to those who have e-mailed me in both concern and support.  You have helped me realize how this blog has truly been helpful to others and the importance of continuing to record this journey.  To all who struggle with me...take my hand.  We will continue to walk together.