Category: Holidays

Happy 91st Birthday, Clella Mae!

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When we arrived at Mom’s care facility to take her out for her birthday celebration, Mom was just returning from eating dinner. (I had called earlier in the day to ask them to NOT let her go down to dinner. Oh well.) We decided to take her out anyway, because there’s always room for cake!

Mom really enjoyed the beautiful flowers that Livy sent her.

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As planned, we celebrated with a trip to the Old Spaghetti Factory, which is always a safe bet for Mom because she loves spaghetti and meatballs. She wasn’t too hungry for dinner, but she did manage to eat an entire (huge!) meatball.

More importantly, we ordered her a piece of Chocolate Mousse Cake, which turned out to be a real hit!

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When the time came to light her candle, nearly everyone around us joined in, and as I looked around, I saw so many happy faces. I mean, how often do you get to sing Happy Birthday to a 91-year old lady?

While everyone was singing, her face lit up like I haven’t seen in a long time. She seemed to be genuinely and completely happy for those few moments.

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It took Mom a very long time to make her wish, and I know that she was thinking about Daddy and wishing that she was with him. Finally, she blew out her candle.

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I don’t know what the next year will bring Mom, but I’m so glad we were there to celebrate this one with her.

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Happy Mother’s Day

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When I got back from Utah, I found these beautiful flowers in Mom’s room. 

Before I knew how far Mom’s memory had fallen, I made plans to spend Mother’s Day with a couple of my Utah daughters and my grand-kids. I haven’t spent Mother’s Day with my oldest in many years, and for many reasons, I needed to be with her this year. But after I bought my ticket, I had this profound moment of remorse, because there is a good chance that this is the last Mother’s Day that my mother will recognize me.

I hope I’m wrong. I hope that next year, I am once again writing ‘this might be the last year…’ I am trying to stay hopeful, but in my heart, I just don’t know.

Everything worked out just fine, and I’m so glad that I went to Utah, and Mom didn’t feel a bit neglected. My husband was on the road in eastern Oregon, so two of my Oregon daughters, along with Grandma Edith, went over and ate dinner with Mom at her AL facility. From the sound of it, they had a really nice visit.

I talked with Mom three times throughout the day. Each time, she thanked me for calling. I know that she didn’t remember any previous calls, but I’m learning to have peace with that. It’s just comforting to know that she is happy, and knows that she is loved.