Christmas season has come again, a rather warm start to the month and a calmness of the weather that continues into the start of the new year. This year was a difficult one, Mom entering Assisted Living two weeks before Thanksgiving after much emotional battering on myself in the process of making such a decision. I had promised myself, as well as my mother that I would never place her into a nursing home; never could bear the thought of this institution for the elderly. To me this was a drop off point, a place family could "un-guiltily" leave those who no longer serves a purpose, does not add or provide, or is too much trouble and time consuming to deal with anymore. Life definitely is hard, but caring for an elderly person makes life extremely harder. Who would want that? I can only imagine what the elderly person must think, being so dependant and vulnerable on others for care are placed inside the walls of these institutions; inside withering away, just waiting to die. I must admit, this is my worst fear and nightmare. Although I broke my promise, assisted living was not that institutionalized setting as that of a nursing home. I'm not sure if that was true or just a good rationalization I told myself to curb my guilt.
Mom was definitely not fond of the arrangement and continually asked to have another chance at living back home. After Thanksgiving Mom began to gradually decline and ended up with pneumonia, a dvt; thus beginning the back and forth from hospital to rehabilitation multiple times. Episodes of syncope and falls also added to multiple visits to the hospital, was good I worked there and could keep an eye on her.
Back in rehab Mom seemed to be doing better, her outlook was more positive, she wasn't constantly begging to go home, was beginning to get up and walk now that her DVT was treated in her leg and a IVC filter inserted in her vena cava to catch any dislodgement of clot from her leg.
Since Mom was unable to get out to see the Christmas lights I decided to bring them to her this year. Hopefully bringing her some Christmas joy and spirit. I stopped around the neighborhoods and snapped pictures when I was out. I walked about with my camera on the tripod trying to capture some of the colorful fun of the lights. I had wanted to find that broad scale from just right to downright gaudy, you know the ones' of which I speak! Those who couldn't fit one more light or display, better known to me as "pagan", my mom's description. It always made me chuckle. So of course those were the lights I sought out just for her, ha!
Love and miss you much. Rest in peace.
Katherine Mary Ey-Garvin
March 15, 1922 - January 2, 2013
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