Mom and Me

Open For Business...

Meal times around here and our question about "What's to eat?" and the answers Mom gives contain some humor.  Here is how the usual conversation goes:

Mom, would you like to have breakfast?

"What have you got?"

Well, you can have eggs, toast, high-fiber cereal, oatmeal, some coffee...

"Do you have bananas?"

Yes

"That's good.  Do you have prunes, whole prunes?"

No, we don't have prunes.

"Hmmmm, let me think about that."

Twenty minutes later:  Hey, Mom would you like some banana?

"Banana? I don't think so they tend to bind me up.  No whole prunes huh?"

No, but we do have prune juice.

"Prune juice.  Hmmmm...let me think about that."

And...so it goes.

My Personal Chef

Since being discharged from Mercy Hospice House of Johnston, Iowa Mom has started...eating.  It really has been amazing.  A week ago today I would have thought we were...done.  However, Mom has different ideas:

"I'm hungry."

This from a woman who stopped eating several days ago.

Hungry?  What would you like? (I try to have her think I can do...anything.)

"I would like (pause) well, what would you suggest?"

I can make a bunch of different things.

"That is exactly what I thought.  This is like having my own personal chef to make my food."

Yes, Mom...it is.

And...So it goes.

 

Mom Time

It seems, when you are Mom's age you have your own internal clock. Two weeks ago we went to the doctor for some tests.  Spent nearly an hour there and she says, "I'm hungry."

Knowing this might be the case I had packed, at her instruction, a couple of cereal bars.

"Do I have a bar in my purse?"

Yes,

"Good!  Let's eat."

So, there she was...taking her sweet time for a snack.  It's all on "Mom Time".

And...so it goes.

For those of you wondering...since our last post Mom has been in and back out of Hospice.  She is home now and seems to be doing the best she can.  Thanks for your thoughts...

Today Is Another Day...

I looked at my Mother and said, "I'm selfish."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not ready to let you go."

"Michael, everything has its seasons."

It's amazing how quickly things can change when you are approaching your 94th Birthday. It's almost like life is upside down.  When we have babies we marvel at how quickly they change. And, when we are old, the change is just as rapid.

Three weeks ago the family was all together and Mom was having a great time. Two weeks ago she started to lose her (usually great) appetite.

This week she has started refusing food.  Other than the one or two bites of something I trick her into taking...saying, "Hey, I can't give you your medication unless you eat something."  She has pretty much shut down.

And...I ache.

They can say things about living a "rich full life" but we are living in the "here and now".  And...it's tough.  And something tells me I'll never be ready and damn the "seasons".

We can only hope for another day.

And....so it goes.