Mom

In June my mom will be 100.  She gets to live this long in part because my sister decided to take Mom in last year so that she wouldn't be isolated in assisted living or die of the virus brought in by staff members.  My sister quit her job to do this for Mom and it was mutually beneficial in many ways for both of them.

Due to the pandemic I hadn't seen much of Mom or my sister in the past year.  To drive a hundred miles to sit on the deck in a mask for a few hours didn't seem worth it in the winter.  But, I got my vaccine in my sister's town.  We got to have a visit.  I got to see Mom.

You might wonder about Mom at 100.  She is still mentally with it.  I wouldn't say that she is sharp.  Her short term memory is going, going, gone.  But, she still knows me, knows about my family.  She likes to see pictures of the grandchildren and hear about them. Her hearing is going, but she can hear me. Ask her about my visit the day after I was there and she probably won't remember that she saw me, but she knew me while I was there.

Now that we are all vaccinated, my mom, my sister and her husband, perhaps we can visit more often.  I look forward to it.  My sister and I are discussing what to do with Mom in the future.  She needs a caretaker, but my sister and her husband also need a life. Life is very uncharted when it comes to the ancients.  It is a play it by ear operation at best. 

Beverly Cleary passed away last week at 104.  I always reminded my sister whenever we would make plans for Mom and wonder how far ahead to plan for that Beverly Cleary was over 100 and still living. And now Ms Cleary is gone, but 104! I loved her books.  I still do.  I have purchased a set for my grandchildren.  Ms Cleary's only still living child, her daughter passed away a year ago.  I hope this last year wasn't too lonely for Ms Cleary.  

I hope going forward we can figure out somewhere for Mom to live that won't put too much strain on my sister and her family.  I hope Mom can enjoy seeing family and enjoy her life in these last few years. But, before those decisions are reached, there is a 100th birthday to plan!