My sister was visiting her son at the U of Alabama in Tuscaloosa....and, my brother-in-law had flown back to Florida....so, the day was ours.
First stop was the nail place where I treated Mom to a pedicure. I watched her slowly relax as she got comfortable in the cushioned seat and placed her feet in the warm, fragrant water. It gave me such pleasure to be able to do this little thing for her.
We talked and laughed as I "teased" her about life in "The Home" and all of the male admirers that she has accrued since living there. Her "one special friend" (very special!!) makes her act like a silly schoolgirl once again and I love it! When he calls her at night I can hear her giggling on the phone as he makes her laugh. What a gift this little "later-in-life" romance is for them both. She is 88 and he is 90....both lost spouses with whom they shared a long, and happy marriage. How lucky they are to have found warm companionship in each other...
On to Target to get a few things. Mom had forgotten her cane, so she used the shopping cart to help steady herself as she walked. It is sometimes difficult for me to see how the aging process has taken away some of her physical abilities...but, she doesn't let that get in her way. You would never know that this woman can barely see (because of her macular degeneration) or hear (she is in the process of getting some much-needed hearing aids).
In fact, Mom played several rounds of Mah Jongg with me and my sister....and, one day, a friend. With a huge magnifying glass in her hand and thick magnifying glasses on...she kept up with us. Actually, she put us all to shame as she won one of the games on a very difficult (closed) hand. We all cheered when she did that remarkable feat. It was a great moment.
I am finding out how very stubborn Mom is. I wanted nothing more than to treat her to a few things while we were shopping...but, she did not want me paying for anything so she clutched her "items" to her chest as she went to a different check out counter than me. Unfortunately, she dropped half of her things en route...so I was able to "admonish" her as I went and found her dropped "treasures" all over the produce department. Then I paid for them.
My sister and I have introduced my mom to the world of Internet games on our i-pads. The bright screens are easier for her to see and she was able to play Boggle quite proficiently. Of course, her generation is still not really comfortable with computers so one time when I walked in on her playing the game the screen was black....and she looked up at me and said, "I think that I killed it!". I assured her that she hadn't and play continued as I got her Boggle screen back. : )
Walking Mom out of the nail place yesterday with her newly-painted pink toenails.... several of the women patrons watched the two of us go out hand in hand. One of the ladies said to me how very lucky I was to still have my mother around to spend time with. The others all nodded their heads affirming her statement.
And, believe me, I couldn't agree more......
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