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The last few days have been tough. Mom is 89
now and she is having age related problems we will probably all face. Monday
her move to assisted living was completed. It is going to be tough on her at
first.
She is experiencing change and change is hard
at that age. How do you explain to someone she has to go for her own well
being? Simply saying it happens to all of us eventually really doesn’t ease the
pain of the circumstance. It would be like saying yes, you have a terminal
illness but we all have to die some time so it is all right.
Think of going into a new place where you are
vulnerable. She will be a stranger…the new person. I have visions of her
sitting by herself feeling very alone. I pray some of the other ladies will
become fast friends. There is no other way to put it, she is scared. I would be
scared. This is a real gut-wrencher for us. It is
worse than sending your children to kindergarten alone for the first time. The
kids will come home. Mom will not.
We will pray for the best and put on a happy
face for Mom, assuring her this is a new fun chapter in her life with all the
activities and meals being cooked for her. As we walk to our cars the smiles
fade like the setting sun, only to reappear for her benefit the next time we
visit. We’ll all get through it but with sadder lives.
Ken
Dillenburg