Last Christmas, I thought my mom was about to die. She had a bad cold and hadn’t been feeling well for several days. She had a cough and constantly needed to blow her nose. She was tired and weak. All she wanted to do was sleep. She could barely sit up. She would sit there … Continue reading 8 Years and Counting
Breathless. Sweaty. My feet hitting the pavement as the miles tick by. One mile, two miles, three, and then four. I keep going. My hips hurt. My legs hurt. My everything hurts. I resist the urge to look down at my watch. “How many miles do I have left? How fast am I going? I … Continue reading Alzheimer’s Is a Marathon, Not a Sprint
When my mom first started exhibiting signs of Alzheimer’s disease, I was often embarrassed and ashamed of her behavior. She would say or do things that seemed bizarre to other people. Even though in the back of my mind I knew there had to be something wrong with her, I was still embarrassed by many … Continue reading Ending the Stigma of Alzheimer’s and Mental Illness
Have you ever heard someone say, “It’s the little things…”? Of course you have! Everyone has either heard someone say that or has said it themselves. Why? Because it’s so true! The little things in life are often the best things. I often get more excited about the little things than I ever do about … Continue reading It’s the Little Things
"One of the hardest things you will ever have to do is to grieve the loss of a person who is still alive." Unknown I’ve been thinking about my mom a lot since I moved to Florida. I thought about her quite a bit when I lived back home, too, but it was in … Continue reading Mourning the Living
I just returned from my first trip back home to visit my mom and dad. I must admit, I was a nervous wreck heading to the Tampa airport to catch my flight, so much so that I parked in the wrong parking garage. I was supposed to park in the cheap parking garage, but I … Continue reading Mama, I’m Coming Home
When I was about eight or nine years old, I saw a Mother’s Day ad for Boscov’s that claimed you could buy your mom a beautiful gold locket for just $0.99. Holy crap! Just $0.99?! I immediately decided that I wanted to get my mom that locket for Mother’s Day. I was so excited to … Continue reading Mother’s Day for the Motherless
