Friday, February 24, 2006

The Thief (a.k.a. Old Age)

We stopped at the nursing home tonight to see my mother. Lately, she has sat in her wheelchair very placidly so I was somewhat startled to see her carefully smoothing out bedtime supplies on her bed. I stood in the doorway for several moments watching her and wondering what she was doing as she carefully arranged a protective bed pad and over that a fully-opened adult diaper.

When I put my hand on her shoulder and she turned around to see me, she smiled and said, “I was thinking about you tonight. I had to make a bed and I thought I should call Lillian and have her help me.”

Then I realized that in her world, that was what she was doing---making a bed, just like she had done a million times before old age had crept in and stole so much of her mind.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

In this time of mirical cures I wonder which antibiotic or preventive medication have I taken, to pro-long my life. My heart to be beating long-after my mind has stopped working is not what I'd choose for my loved ones.
I think I will need to consider the options. I shall tell them all what I'm thinking;while I can, then their dislike for me will be so great...it won't hurt so much when I can't.
That is optomistic!!? God Bess you in these last days with your mother. I will pray that no-one steals our minds, though it's there where I have had my best and worst triumphs and most worries of the things that never happened.

Anonymous said...

Excellent, love it! » »