A long, strange trip it was
You have to laugh or cry
As a caregiver, you field questions like "Where's the pill that takes you to California?" from your mom.
Or you sit for an hour watching your father "visit" with his brother - a man dead for five years.
You live through these moments the best you can so you can take care of people who've always taken care of you.
But sometimes, if the wind blows just right, they are able to enjoy a little laugh at themselves - and their caregivers.
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My father, Christmas 2010
Holding a cane from his collection, this one a “putter”.
Back in the day, he loved golfing.
And his mystery books -
He and I read every Agatha Christie novel and quite a few Hamish McBeth and Agatha Raisin -
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My mother, same Christmas, at her sister's
She's wearing a holiday sweater - she liked the tasteful ones.
And she'd probably fixed her confetti corn salad with green onions and red peppers (colors for the season).
Momma also made a point to buy ALL the Dirty Santa gifts -
so no one would ever get stuck with a bad one!
My father endured Alzheimer's for nearly four years before his passing in 2016.
My mother suffered from heart disease for almost a decade, and she slipped into dementia her last six months.
My novel was inspired by these experiences - and those moments of clarity when mom and dad were almost themselves again.