I’m going to call Mom’s care facility soon to request an appointment to visit with her. It’s been so long since I’ve seen her. I do get reports from my dad. Some visits are priceless. Others, like today’s, are more difficult to swallow. Mom desperately wanted to be near him, and when he explained that they had to keep their distance, she became upset and abusive both verbally and physically to the staff who were caring for her during the visit. The staff actually asked my dad

My sweet, beautiful, lively mother has forgotten how to walk. This is the second time in a month that Mom is on antibiotics. If something is ailing her, we don’t know what it is. Perhaps there’s a connection between that and her sudden inability to walk. This is a woman who last year danced like a young ballerina for the admissions panel at her care facility; who astounded us five years ago when she and my dad spontaneously started cutting a rug at my son’s wedding; and who,

She sounded so…normal on the phone. “We’d love to come visit you!” Of course, the moment I opened the door to my house to invite my parents inside, Mom looked at me, puzzled, and declared, “I didn’t know you lived here.” I laughed. I had been feeling anxious about their visit, about all I needed to do, all that could go wrong, the energy I’d need to entertain them. Here we were on the threshold, literally and figuratively, and I had a choice to make. I could continue to run s

What a laugh we had today!! Mom’s sister Barbara is visiting from England, and whenever she’s around, the laughter is contagious. Even Mom was in good spirits. When I arrived, I met Mom, Daddy and Barbara at the doctor’s office. Daddy needed a letter from the doctor that stated that Mom’s Alzheimer’s is a permanent illness. This must be given to the court to process his guardianship of Mom. They’d been waiting for a while when I walked in, and we immediately fell to laughing

I didn’t see my parents this week. I have a sinus infection, and I had no energy to travel two hours each way to see them. So, I stayed home and rested. I missed being with them. Seeing Mom has become the focal point in my week. It pretty much defines my life right now, though there are of course many other things going on. I know they love to see me, too, but given the fact that Mom can’t remember that I’ve even visited, I think the visits are more important for me than they

It’s Friday afternoon and time is running out before Shabbat. I’m making my favorite green bean dish that I know will be warmly accepted when I serve it. I have time to call Mom and Daddy to wish them a Shabbat Shalom before the beans come out of the oven. Mom is always so excited to hear my voice. She asks me how I am. Then, where I am. I haven’t moved in 19 years, but Mom can’t always remember the name of the city where I live or even how old I am. I tell her again that Sha