11 April 2006

To my mother.

This morning I was visiting with my mother, who is 89. I was there because she was very upset about some personal problems in her life and had asked me to run across (she lives next door to me.) We made a couple of phone calls and she asked me to check her mail. Then she wanted to hear the hymn “Whispering Hope”. So I found a MIDI site with the lyrics and we both sang the song and then sang a few more hymns. Then we sang some of the old songs she knew like ‘Ramona’, ‘Beautiful Dreamer’& ‘Far Away Places’. She was always into Western music and was also pretty clued into our songs when we were growing up. So we also sang along to ‘Blowing in the Wind’. She used to love some of the Joan Baez songs as well as some of those of Simon and Garfunkel. Those she has CDs of tho’. It’s only the older songs like 1920s, 30s songs that she loved, that are difficult to find.

I truly admire her indomitable spirit. She looked after her younger sister for five years, watching her deteriorate in front of her eyes. [My aunt had Parkinsonism and so by the time she died in 2001, she was completely unable to move, or communicate in any way.] Now she looks after my 93 year old father who has senile dementia and is mostly in bed, though she herself broke her hip & walks with a walker. She has help it's true. Still.......... I know she is sometimes weary of this life,but she soldiers on with the help of music, books, e-mails to children & grandchildren and phone calls to far-flung nieces & nephews who were always welcome at our house. This post is a salute to my mother and others like her out there in the world. Here's to you !

4 comments:

  1. I love that music as well. It is my favorite.

    Living next to your mother is a blessing as well. What a wonderful relationship that you must have that you can go to her and sit and sing together. It bring a beautiful visual.

    I know someone who's mother has parkinsons now. Also, my grandmother died with dementia, so I am familiar with this as well. It sounds as though you are from a family of very strong women and you are no exception to that rule.

    It's interesting to me that we can be a world apart and still have so much in common.

    I salute your mother as well and I send her my best wishes all the way from my home and my heart here in The Middle of No Where America. She sounds wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you so very much for your loving wishes. Yes I do know I'm lucky that my parents are nearby.

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a wonderful caring daughter you are. Wonderful how you sing along with your Mother. You are so lucky to have each other. I hope I can do as well if I live to be her age. Taking care of your Father the way she does shows how much love they have had thru the years.
    I also read other blogs and can see what a caring mother you are. yes, I still remember when the last one started school, and when the last one moved out on their own. Sure leaves an empty spot, but I have also found that the grandchildren and the great grandchildren help to fill that space as the years go by. Our children may be grown with children of their own, but we still never stop worrying about them. As you said, we have to step back and let them make their own decissions and hope we did a good enough job raising them for them to handle whatever they have to face. Be there to help if they ask.
    Aren`t grandchildren wonderful? I also have great grandchildren to love and enjoy.
    Thanks for visiting my blog. I have enjoyed reading yours.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you so much Dot. Yes, I always hope that I have made my children strong enough to handle whatever life brings their way and come out better people.

    ReplyDelete

I love comments! Do give your feed back.