I’ve heard it said that life is cyclic – we come into this
world crying, and depending on others, and we go out of this world somewhat the
same way. When the Good Lord is ready
for me, I hope I go out of this world quickly, because A) When I get old, I
will likely have no one to take care of me; and B) it is hard to see strong,
independent people become dependent.
This Mother’s Day and the conclusion of Nurse’s Week, I’m giving a big
shout out to my mom, for not only putting up with me when I was a bratty child,
difficult teenager, and now absent workaholic, but now for dedicating the last
5 weeks to selflessly giving herself to her own mother. Thanks Mom, for being a shining example to
me!
April 5, 2012, is a day that will forever standout in my
mind. No, it wasn't a holiday or a significant birthday. It just started out as
an ordinary Thursday for me and my Grandma. I was on vacation, spending time at
my grandparents' house like I do each year before Easter & Christmas and we
had a good morning; playing cards, eating lunch, talking like two girlfriends.
I had gone out to get the mail and we made ourselves comfy in the living room,
read the Chadron paper and were watching the Western channel when Grandma took
a nap. When she woke up from her nap, her life and those around her would be
changed.
I'll spare you a lot of the details, but Grandma woke with a start, and sometime within less than a 2 hour nap, something lapsed in her mind. She was confused— and I was scared. I thought playing cards, our favorite pastime, would help her so we went to the kitchen and I walked her through a game of Rummy. But she kept talking about how “foggy” things were and how tired she was. And she acted like she never even heard of a “wild” card before. Thankfully my parents arrived within the hour, and my mom and uncle drove Grandma to the Emergency Room, and she spent the next few days in the Hospital. None of the tests showed signs of stroke, and she has no infections.
I'll spare you a lot of the details, but Grandma woke with a start, and sometime within less than a 2 hour nap, something lapsed in her mind. She was confused— and I was scared. I thought playing cards, our favorite pastime, would help her so we went to the kitchen and I walked her through a game of Rummy. But she kept talking about how “foggy” things were and how tired she was. And she acted like she never even heard of a “wild” card before. Thankfully my parents arrived within the hour, and my mom and uncle drove Grandma to the Emergency Room, and she spent the next few days in the Hospital. None of the tests showed signs of stroke, and she has no infections.
Grandma basically has little memory function and she gets
confused easily. She knows people, like
my mom, uncle and aunt that are around her often, but when I make my weekly
phone calls, she might know me for a while, then start talking about me in the
third person. Sometimes she even has fun
tales to tell about me—like the week I had “kidnapped a trunk full of babies
and was running from the law.” But most
of the time her conversations are sad, and most of the time, life for Grandma
must be very sad and lonely as she shows little emotion.
April 5 – it’s the day I realized that sometimes we have to
grow up fast and take care of those older than us. And moms and kids and aunts all take on the
mothering role of the matriarch of the family.
This Mother’s Day, I want to wish all my “mom” friends the
best Mother’s Day yet—if it’s your first one, enjoy those little moments during
the first year as a mom, and if it’s your 38th Mother’s day,
remember, I love you more than you know! Happy Mother’s Day!
