My Mom

Today I had lunch with my Mom. Since my Dad passed away she has been living at Good Samaritan in the congregate building. She has a very nice apartment with a washer and dryer and they get one meal a day. They also have organized things for them to do on a pretty regular basis. Trips to the grocery store, to Target, movie night on Friday just to name a few. Someone does come in to clean her bathroom and the floors but otherwise she is pretty much on her own. It is very comforting for my siblings and I to know she is there where she has people around all the time. Despite everything she gets very lonely without my Dad. We all miss him so much.

Mom loves to have family come to have lunch with her. She loves to show off her family. She loves company any time they come. She loves to have the grands come and visit she loves them all so much. Today the choice was a pork chop or roast beef,baked potato and mixed veggies and some other vegetable. They always have a salad bar and a desert. Sometimes the food is better then other times but it is not about the food it is about the time with her.

She does not hear so well anymore but she has a hearing aid that she hates. She tells me about it every time and laments over the money spent on the "worthless thing" Truth be known she does hear better with it one on one, crowds are not so good. She worries about everything, everyone in her family and anything really sad she hears on the news. No matter how much we tell her not to worry she cannot help herself. Because of all the worrying she does I try not to tell her things I know she cannot do anything about but somehow she always knows when something isn't right. She doesn't cook as well as she used to but she still makes mean cooked rice which she makes often with all the milk she gets but doesn't drink at lunch. All in all she is in pretty good health and we are all grateful for that. She told me the other day she says every night when she goes to bed, "If I don't wake up that is okay." That breaks my heart but at the same time I can imagine how she feels. The mind and the body don't function like they used to and the man you were married to for 65 years is on longer there for you to care for. It cannot be easy. She has a few grandchildren she would really like to see married yet so she says she guesses she better stay healthy.

The picture of my Mom and I was taken at Chris and Nikki's at Christmas. Nikki set a very beautiful table. With Grandpa's Candle in front of Grandma's plate. Last Christmas was the first Christmas without Daddy. My daughter-in-law had bought a very beautiful candle and set in on the table. It was Grandpa's Candle. When her Grandpa passed away about 10 or 11 years ago her family had started this tradition for him so she thought it would be nice to have one for Grandpa Barron as well. So this Christmas once again Grandpa's Candle was lite as it will be for many a Christmas to come. Just one of the many reasons why I love my daughter-in-law so much.