This past week was very rough for her. She keeps having nightmares and being very frightened! She gets so scared that she cries and screams. She sees things that are not there. It's best to just go along with an elderly person who is confused - UNLESS - the thing they are confused about is making him/her very anxious, scared, or should I say terrified!! I haven't figured it all out, yet. I have asked for a meeting with her doctor and the psychiatrist who comes to this facility. She has never seen Mother, but I am thinking that maybe she will have some insight into some meds that might help keep her on a more even keel!! At least that is my prayer. It will help knowing that some of you are praying for her, too.
See that pink thing in the upper lefthand corner? That is the foot of a flamingo. Mother has always liked flamingos. I'm glad I hung it behind her bed, because I think it would have frightened her if she could have seen it the other morning. She thought there were people hanging from her ceiling on these lantern things they had made in a craft session. I took them down. I just can't imagine what is going on in her mind. As my cousin's wife said, "Her brain is running a hundred miles a minute, flitting from one thing to another. She must be exhausted."
I still think I'm going to try to get inside her and other residents' heads and write a book.
40th Reunion! It's sad when your former teachers look younger than you and your classmates. This was our Freshman English teacher. We were her first group. She said we were her favorite. That's hard to believe. She was so young and cute. Our boys really gave her a hard time. She gave me a "C" in study hall for talking too much. I didn't know you got grades in Study Hall, but we did!!!!
I do not put pictures of people on my blog without blurring their faces unless I ask first, so that's why these are blurred. Can you tell from the background that we held our reunion at a Senior Citizens' Center!!! How appropriate!!!! The guys look older than the girls in this photo, don't they. The girl on the left is a couple of years younger than us, but she married the guy next to her. He is a member of the band that provided our entertainment all during our teen years. They were, and still are, an awesomely talented group!!!
The girl in pink and I played basketball together. The guy in the black shirt was our class president. The guy with his back to the camera was actually our principal. I'll never forget the time that he announced that, "The next freshman who gets sent to the office will be sent home!!" Of course, that was our freshman year, and my husband was the next freshman to be sent to him. He didn't send him home, though. Whew!! His parents would have not been happy, to say the least!!!
The girl facing the camera is my bff from junior high and high school. We are still very close! She is the one who always beat me in sewing competitions. The girl with her back to the camera was also one of my very best friends. Our schools were integrated during our 7th grade year. She didn't come till the 8th grade, but we were in the same home room. We formed an instant bond. She, the other girl in the photo, and I played basketball together. They, along with the girl in the above photo were really good at basketball. But hey, someone had to warm the bench and cheer them on, right? That was my position. The girl with her back to the camera and I also sang in a sextet together. She has a beautiful soprano voice and I'm an alto. She and I quit the sextet together, too, because the teacher who was our director scheduled our practices during basketball practice. Boy did that teacher light into us! She said we would be sorry later in life, because, "You will sing all of your lives, but basketball is just temporary!" That was our argument, too. We wanted to play while we could. Brenda even played bb in college!!! She plays the piano at her church, too.
These are our classmates who have passed away. There was one other girl who was killed during our 8th grade year whose picture isn't here. The boy in the top right hand corner was one of the first kids I ever knew as a kid. Our mothers were really good friends and we went to church together. He and I rolled our Junior English teacher's yard three times at Halloween. We hid in the bushes and watched our teacher come out and clean up the mess, and then we would roll it again! He pulled me out of the water once when I did a stupid dive off the board while playing chicken. I was temporarily paralyzed and couldn't swim to the side by myself. The boy in the middle on the left side of this photo had just been to visit my husband and me shortly before he was killed in a car wreck. The girl on the bottom left was voted "friendliest" in our class. She was so beautiful!!! The boy on the bottom middle jumped into the deep end of our city pool right at my feet once. He couldn't swim. Why did he jump in? Who knows, but I pulled him out.
We had one table with memorabilia. The photo on the left is my husband and me at our senior prom. Look at that mini dress that I made to wear!!! The picture on the right was made during one of the rare times that I got into a basketball game. That's me on the floor fighting for the ball. They had a good reason for calling me Bruiser! That's my bff from two picture up, on the left looking as if she isn't sure whether to help me out or not!!! Lol
Now, it's to my sewing room to see what patterns and fabrics I already have that will work for making some things for my grands who are having birthdays in May.
If the air doesn't clear of pollen soon, I will not be able to function. My eyes are pouring and my nose is stopped up. I'm coughing and sneezing every few minutes. I need RAIN!!! I didn't think I would be wishing for rain, as much as we've had this year! But, I need some clean air to breath!!!
11 comments:
Keeping your mother in my prayers, Julia! I remember going through similar episodes with my dad. What we would see as a welcome change either in surroundings or routine (big or small) would often throw him into a frenzy. It's difficult for everyone involved. Hang in there!
I will send out good thoughts for your mother. It must be terribly upsetting for you. I hope the pollen lessens for you soon! suzie xxx
We're having pollen issues here in SE TN too. Looking for that rain coming tomorrow & this weekend!
Have they checked your mom for urinary tract infections? My mom-in-law is in assisted living and that's the first thing they check her for when she starts seeing things. She even called 911 once. The police called my husband at 4:45 AM to come meet with them.
Anyway, that is one thing you might want to look into. Praying for your mom too.
I feel your pain, lady. I do know what it's like to have a parent whose mind becomes jumbled. When my mother went through it, I could ndever figure out why she had the thoughts that she conjured up. Difficult, difficult.
I hope the doctors will be able to come up with something to give your mother some relief from her fears.
Your reunion sounds like it was a lot of fun with old friends.
Julia - I hope you're mother improves - it does seem as if she is in a place where quite a few people care for her and luckily has a wonderful daughter to visit. Must have done something right:) Wonderful blog. I hope you're feeling better soon! - P.
How neat that your mom was chosen as resident of the month. I'll continue to keep praying for your mom and thanks again for all of your prayers for my mil.
Julia, all the best to your mom. What you write, remembers me a lot regarding my grandma.
I also had a 30th reunion last week. It was just great. Haven't seen the guys for more than 20 years. In sommertime we will probably have a barbecue at the riverside on a sandy beach. There will be time to talk more than about stories in the year dot.
Sabine
Mom looks beautiful on the outside - sorry the inside are causing problems. One day at a time.... She is lucky to have you. So many at her age get forgotten.
Great reunion! Do you get to see these people often or did some come from out of town? Amazing how fast time passes. We're having our 30 year on October at the Hard Rock. (no senior center LOL - thats funny!) I just love reading the stories about the days of your youth. I can't wait to read your book!
Rained ALL DAY here Sunday. Our season is bad here too. You should see my avocado tree in the back full of pollen. Hope the rain finds its way to you. The back, the full nose - hope you get better soon!
What a lovely lady she is! We will continue to pray for her peace and comfort. So glad you had an enjoyable reunion! I guess it's kind of sad-- I have no desire to attend any of mine.
Tell your mother congrats!
Post a Comment