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| Mom and one of her babies December 2011 |
It's Christmas 2011. Mom is still alive. She believes that she has a baby named Joseph. She is lost in a life that only exists in her mind. The key to keeping her calm is often hidden, which is part of the challenge of caring for her.
"Hurry! He needs food." Mom was frantic as she spoke into the phone last night.
"Look. I got to go." She continued.
"Where are you going? Can I help?" I replied, hoping to understand what she was trying to express in fragmented phrases.
"Where's the key?!" Verbalizing a thought that made total sense to her.
"I have it." I answered.
"Don't you understand?!" Mom spoke through clenched teeth with a stern tone. A tone I remembered well; I was not a model child.
"How should I proceed? I need your help to understand." Calmly I asked for her opinion, a technique I use to figure out what is bothering her in order to redirect her attention to something more pleasant.
Our conversation ended as quickly as it began. Mom lost interest and rushed off to chase her hallucinations.
Today is Christmas; is it the last Christmas?
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with you in prayer.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas Susan!
ReplyDeleteChristmas is especially rough.
ReplyDeleteThis was my 3rd christmas without my rock. Like i do EVERY christmas day when im at my mom's, i snuck downstairs into his basement apartment, just to sit by myself for a bit and remember him.
This year, my mom caught me down there and she started to cry. i usually try to do these things on my own, but i guess her seeing me like that brought it all home.
If this WAS the last christmas, i hope you cherished it as much as you could...
Thank you all for your thoughts and prayer, Sheri and Mrs Sew.
ReplyDeleteSlyde... I think you are one of my favorite bloggers to read... You are funny and crude, yet a total softy when it comes to family.
We had a nice Christmas. Mom couldn't handle going out to a family gathering so my husband and I visited her at the home. It is sad to see her decline. I miss my mom everyday.