New Blog You Should Check Out

I can remember being maybe 10 years old when I got to read something that my mom had written. I guess it was a creative writing piece. At that point in my life I had no idea that my mom had other talents and abilities outside homemaking and mothering type things, and I remember being quite impressed at what a good writer she was. It gave me hope that maybe I could be a good writer someday too. :)

Well I am happy to say that my mom is now blogging. Her new blog, Ma Is Losing It, is her spot to talk about the journey that she is on with her own mother having Alzheimer's. I was just reading her first two posts and was reminded of my childhood appreciation of my mom's writing skills. She's still got it!

Alzheimer's may be one of the cruelest diseases. I remember years ago I used to give a ride to an elderly lady in my town every now and then. Her husband had died after a long illness with Alzheimer's. Her comment on the illness was "Some things are much worse than death."

My mom and grandmother are way down in North Carolina and I'm in central KY, so I don't get to witness much of the progression of the disease. However, the other day my grandmother sent a birthday card to my youngest son. It included a check, since she had traditionally sent money for all gift giving occasions. I've been shredding her checks for awhile now, because her financial situation is pretty terrible now that she requires special care all the time. But, she likes to send gifts, so she does, and we thank her, and never spend the money.

Well, I was about to take the check to the shredder when I took a look at it. She had gotten my name right, and her signature. The rest.....was a mess. The date was for May, with no year. In the $_____ space she wrote my town name. In the space where you are supposed to write out the amount of the check, she wrote my son's name, and part of our address, plus some other stuff I couldn't make out. My mom told me that it took Gram over an hour to write out that check.

Physical evidence like that really hits me differently. She's really struggling to hold on to the bits and pieces of information that make up a person's ability to "do life." It's a hard thing to see. And I know it's a huge, painful, difficult thing for my mom to live with every day. The pressure that caregivers are under is enormous.

Go visit my mom's blog, and spread the word if you can. She's a mighty funny woman once she gets going, and laughter sure does make the craziness of Alzheimer's a little easier to deal with.