50 years is unimaginable to me.
I feel like Dorothy in the movie, “Wizard of Oz”, who has been traveling on “the yellow brick road”. I have felt creaky like the Tin Man, with a lot of heart. I have had my courage tested like the Lion, and I have been proud of my bravery and accomplishments through the tough times. Like the Scarecrow, I have been loyal to family and friends.
I took my aging but energetic mother everywhere with me to visit her grandchildren and great grandchildren until she suffered a disabling stroke in January of 2021.
Mom remains the matriarch of our family in the house I grew up in for 65 years. She is going on 98 years old and basically healthy for her age except for no use of her left arm and leg and progressive dementia.
Instead of running through airports and laughing with joy on a speed boat in the Caribbean, she is sadly confined to a hospital bed, wheel chair, and stand-up recliner. Mom loved to travel, and she is very bored with this end of life situation. PT and OT are difficult as she is tired and weak from lack of activity, the inability to process directions, and severe short term memory loss.
I visit her often as does my brother who lives much closer, but it is extremely depressing. On the bright side, she has a team of 4 full time round the clock aides who are our lifeline and hers. My brother, Glenn, and I are so grateful for them.
So I can honestly click my heels and say, “There is no place like home”, where I’ve been married to my loving husband for 44 years and I am feeling happy and grateful.
I am looking forward to reuniting with those I’ve lost touch with at the Reunion! Feel free to reach out to me.