Tonight would have been what my Mom and I would have described as the perfect summer evening.\u00a0 The air is clean, the sky blue, and the sun is shining. \u00a0Last summer most Monday or Tuesday nights would have been something like this:<\/p>\n
I would call ahead from work to see what she would like to eat.\u00a0 Over the summer my Mom was eating about a half a cup of food several times a day.\u00a0 Her tastes had become very selective so I would call her to see what she felt like having and if she didn\u2019t know I would try to suggest something.\u00a0 And she knew that I would go to whatever restaurant she was craving just to know that she was eating.\u00a0 Or if she had food Home Care or I would help make it.\u00a0 She was able to stand at the counter for short periods of time as long as her walker was nearby.\u00a0 And she wanted to help as long as she could.<\/p>\n
After my 45 minute drive from the city I would park in her spot behind her building and in view of her apartment I would take a deep breath before getting out of the car.\u00a0 You never knew what each visit would bring.\u00a0 Would she be okay?\u00a0 Had she fallen or fainted since I spoke to her last?\u00a0 Would this be a night at the emergency room?\u00a0 Everything could change in seconds.<\/p>\n
As I reached her patio door I would take another deep breath and look through the glass and see her sitting in her chair watching TV, reading the paper or doing a puzzle book.\u00a0 And I would breathe a sigh of relief.\u00a0 And say a prayer that I would say what needed to be said and hear what needed to be heard.<\/p>\n
As soon as she saw me she would have a big smile and put away what she had been doing.\u00a0 And then she would get out of her lift chair and follow me with her walker over to the kitchen table.\u00a0 She had a wonderful apartment where the kitchen, dining and living spaces were all in one room.\u00a0 Eating at the table was very important to her.\u00a0 Being in the hospital so much she loved and understood the freedom of eating at the table. \u00a0And it gave her the chance to get up and walk around.\u00a0 Sometimes she would take a lap around the apartment while I was getting the food ready.<\/p>\n
When we were done eating we would decide our next move depending on the weather.\u00a0 On a night like this we would have been excited to get her in her wheelchair to go for a walk.\u00a0 Some nights it was just around the block or up the scenic walking path behind her place.\u00a0 But other times we would go to the closest restaurant and have coffee.\u00a0 No matter where we went the scenery was always her favorite part.\u00a0 She said she hadn\u2019t noticed the brightness of the flowers the year before or how green the grass and the trees were.\u00a0 \u00a0We would talk about everything.\u00a0 Sometimes she seemed to pick a decade to talk about.\u00a0 She was always reminiscing and I indulged her.\u00a0 After coffee we would head back to her place past the library and down the little hill by the park toward Elm St.\u00a0 That was our favorite part.\u00a0 I would usually end up running to keep up with her chair so it didn\u2019t get away from me.\u00a0 And a few times I did that little run in the rain, once with thunder and lightning chasing us.\u00a0 But we could usually pick the perfect nights for that walk.<\/p>\n
If we couldn\u2019t go for a walk because of weather or if Mom wasn\u2019t feeling well we would just go sit on the bench outside the building\u2019s front door and watch the cars go by.\u00a0 Talk to the dog walkers and enjoy the evening air.\u00a0 Or we would just stay inside and play a game of Skip Bo and have a cup of coffee.\u00a0 If I was there on a Tuesday my sister may stop in after work and join us around the table.\u00a0 Usually around 8 she would ask me if I would go get her a small Sunday from Dairy Queen, unless a friend had dropped off a yummy dessert.\u00a0 I would see her eat less and less each Monday and pretend that I didn\u2019t notice.<\/p>\n
Home Care would come around 8:30 to get her ready for bed, soon after she would ask if I should be going.\u00a0 She was concerned for me but I think more concerned that Jeopardy was coming on at 9.\u00a0 Some nights I would leave by 9, other nights I would stay until Pasith would send me a \u201chello\u201d or \u201cHow is everything\u201d text as a gentle reminder.\u00a0 And I would just dread leaving not knowing if there would be a next Monday; or if it would still look the same.\u00a0 We had made it through this one but that was no guarantee of another one.\u00a0 She would get out of her chair and give me a hug and I would feel her bones and realize how frail and small she was getting.\u00a0 And she would walk over to the door, watch me leave, wave and lock the door.\u00a0 Home Care would be back for night at 11.<\/p>\n
By the time I got home I was exhausted.\u00a0 But it was so worth it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Tonight would have been what my Mom and I would have described as the perfect summer evening.\u00a0 The air is clean, the sky blue, and the sun is shining. \u00a0Last summer most Monday or Tuesday nights would have been something … Continue reading