Tea Time at Bedtime

Sometimes we find the answer to our problems in the most unusual places.  Yesterday morning I was reading one of my prevention magazines and in it was an article about the "weird" food remedies that work to prevent and heal illness. 

The article mentioned dementia patients, even those who were well on their way to death's door, can benefit from drinking Lemon Balm tea.  I never knew this about Lemon Balm.  I had this herb growing invasively at my last house.  In summer I like to pick the fresh leaves and put them into a salad.  The lemon flavor of the leaves adds a refreshing taste to a typical tired salad.

Being a tea lover, I knew I must have lemon balm tea in the cupboard.  I didn't!  I did have a Yogi Tea, a calming tea with lemon grass as one of the many herbs listed.  Mid-morning yesterday, I gave my mom a cup of this tea and it seemed to calm her mind. 

She was willing to attempt to sew after drinking the tea.  She was very alert.  I had forgotten to give her the Cognifactor that I usually give her with lunch to help her mentally navigate the events of the afternoon, it doesn't appear to have mattered because she drank the tea. 

Could the answer be in the Tea, just like the Prevention Magazine article stated?

Excited to see how well my mom did yesterday afternoon, it was easy to draw a conclusion that the tea helped her. 

My mom stayed awake all day yesterday, which is important for her to keep her days and nights in order.  When my mom has a good day, she eats all of her dinner.  On a bad day, she moves it all over the plate like a little kid to make it look like she ate.  I especially love it when she covers the dish with a tissue to cover up what she didn't eat.  However, yesterday was different, she had a good day and ate her supper. 

Her favorite night gown was clean and she was smiling, my mom appeared happy... she knew my name, she knew who I was last night.  It's great when she remembers who I am.  I saw my real mother last night, even if it was for a short time, it was a welcomed visit.

Yesterday while I worked, I thought about my mom and any subtle changes that I had made with her from the time we moved her until now.  Like a shot it came to me...

Bedtime TEA!

When my mom and I lived in my house that we sold, I often made her a cup of tea at bedtime.  I would give it to her in the fancy tea cup that I bought at TJ Maxx about 20 years ago on the clearance table for $5 dollars.  It's our favorite cup to drink tea.

Last night, I pulled out the bed table that I always put in front of her so the Tea Cup and Saucer could have a place to rest between sips.  I made her a cup of tea, just like I always had, only once she moved upstairs in this house, I stopped making her tea.  No wonder she keeps thinking she's got to go home.  Home is where she has tea!

Placing the table in front of her, I could see her brow soften and a Mona Lisa smile began to form on her face.  I set the tea cup and saucer in front of her, the beautiful fancy cup.

Today is a great day!

My mom, she slept through the night, waking at 5am for her one supplement that she needs to take on an empty stomach before taking anything else.  I set her up in her room with the local news and asked her to pay attention to the weather report and the snow storm that is about to blow through our area.

Mom, she is happy this morning.  She slept.  She didn't wake up asking me about her hallucinations like she usually does in the morning.  Today is different. 

Last night was different. 

Tea time at bedtime helped. 

Relaxed, my mom's subconscious mind was able to hear the positive suggestions that I was making; planting seeds so that today we have another great day.