Too funny!

Okay, - I just couldn't help but post Ms. Chrissy's latest comment. Seems like I am always mentioning the walker or I am bringing it out from its assigned place in mother's dining room corner. Yesterday after church I stopped to pick her up and take her next door to our house for the afternoon. In driving her back to her home and after finally getting her inside the front door, where she just stops moving, as gently as I can muster, I told her all three of her doctors have explained the importance of and told her to use the walker. Still standing firmly in the doorway and with a most perplexed expression, Chrissy looked at me and said, "why - Judy Denise, I don't have three doctors!" And then, she just stood there and started laughing! Can you guess what she focused on for the remainder of the evening?

So the thought does cross my mind that after six full years with Chrissy's Alzheimer's, having advanced degrees, most weeks researching dementia, numerous interactions with other caregivers, consultations with professionals, and $$ spent on therapy, why would I continue to try and rationalize with my mother??! Who knows why at times I continue to try and make sense of things.

I do know that this intrinsic and powerful relationship with her, such a gentle woman who journeys daily without the love of her life, without cognitive or physical stability, is indeed a priority in my life. And while there are times of aggravation and frustration, there are also days when I am grateful to live next door and honored to be her daughter and caregiver.