I’ve been thinking a lot about death lately. Death and grief and the impending doom of losing my mom. (Yeah, I know. I’m super fun these days.) I’ve also been thinking a lot about how much my mom’s Alzheimer’s has affected me; how much it has changed me. I often ask myself why my mom’s … Continue reading To Both Love and Grieve Means to Live a Full Life
Tag: mom is dying
My Mom’s Alzheimer’s Is About Her, Not Me
For a long time, I used to think about my mom’s Alzheimer’s mostly in terms of how it affected me. How sad it was that she was diagnosed so young, when I was only 25 years old. How sad it was for me to lose my mom this way. How sad it was that there … Continue reading My Mom’s Alzheimer’s Is About Her, Not Me
You Can Do Hard Things Out of Love
My dad had an appointment with a funeral home director a couple of weeks ago. I remember him mentioning something to me, but I didn’t know he had made an appointment or when it was. At the time, I didn’t even think to tell him to wait for me to come home so I could … Continue reading You Can Do Hard Things Out of Love
How to Love an Alzheimer’s Daughter
My husband recently told me that he doesn’t remember what I was like before my mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. I guess that’s fair. We only started dating one year before I started noticing changes in my mom and only two years before she was officially diagnosed. We actually got engaged the same month my … Continue reading How to Love an Alzheimer’s Daughter
You Don’t Have to Suffer in Silence
When I was 12 years old, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. I was getting ready for basketball practice one night, when I heard her whispering on the phone to my Aunt Diane. It sounded like something was going on, but she was trying to hide it. I asked her what she was talking … Continue reading You Don’t Have to Suffer in Silence
I Worry About My Mom’s Death Every Day
I started writing my mom’s eulogy the other day. Not on paper, but in my head. Nothing has happened. Nothing has changed. In fact, things are pretty much the same as they have been for some time now. But we are coming up on the nine-year anniversary of her Alzheimer’s diagnosis. July 2010. And I’ve … Continue reading I Worry About My Mom’s Death Every Day
