We seem to be in a kind of dance. We take three steps forward and one step back. Now that we are all vaccinated with our second dose of the vaccine, Mom’s facility has stopped all visits because there is fear that the vaccine will not protect against the COVID variants. We are reduced once again to calling her via video chat which does not engage her attention. Our hearty hellos fall hollow and we are often wind up silently watching Mom sit at her table either playing with a

I finally saw Mom this week. It was such a pleasure to see her happy and smiling. She talked a mile a minute for about twenty minutes. Non-stop talking and singing in a rambling word salad that sometimes included full sentences and coherent thoughts. When we sang, her voice often hit the notes beautifully. She sang a soaring rendition of “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning,” from Oklahoma, to the surprise of the staff. And she told me that she loved me. If 2020 has been characteriz

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

We just got word that Mom may receive the Pfizer Corona vaccine as early as next week! This is truly a Chanukah miracle. The closer we get to vaccinating Mom, and then the rest of us, the faster we can be in physical contact with her. No more masks, no more distancing. Just sweet hugs and kisses. There are so many questions still to be answered about the efficacy of this vaccine. Was it tested on older people? What percentage of the population may have bad reactions? Will it