And My Heart Did A Little Dance

Jacksonville, Florida 1957

I took a picture of Mom at home just before we took her to the nursing home where she will probably live out the rest of her life. It's awful looking. I can't put it up here. Instead, I found these pictures in one of her several lock boxes. It's a beautiful Sunday in Jacksonville, Florida and it's 1957 and a happy young couple is clowing around with some friends.

We put Mom in a new nursing home on July 2, 2008, one day after her 83rd birthday. Things were rough the first few days. I had the worst fibro flare from all the tension, and Mom was so angry, so confused, so disoriented.


But now she's doing much better! She has her hair cut in an adorable bob, she's making some new friends, she's enjoying the food, and she's safe. SAFE.


List of things Mom did while at home being supervised by a caregiver:

1. Tried to cook a shirt in the microwave to warm it up.


2. Tried to cook a pillow in the microwave.


3. Escaped out the front door and fell, but those calcium pills paid off. No broken bones, ever.


4. Tossed several dozen paper towels down the toilet, necessitating another plumber's bill for $293.


I tried to watch her, and so did the other caregivers. But if you've ever tried to "watch" a toddler, you know that they can get in trouble in a second. Same with an Alzheimer's patient.


Today when I saw her clean and neat with a stylish new haircut enjoying talking to her new friends, my heart did a little dance. It would have been a better dance if a miraculous cure was announced for Alzheimer's and Fibromyalgia, but it was a dance nonetheless.

Life goes on, and now I can too. It's summertime! And Mom is safe in a lovely place! And she's not hating it! And...and.. things are going to be okay. Somehow, things are going to be ok.