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What (Nighttime) Dreams Are Made Of
Since we are now in December, I feel I need to connect today’s post to the feeling that I have received an early Christmas gift. Two amazing women, Dr. Vicki Atkinson and Wynne Leon, recently reached out to me again to join them on their podcast Sharing The Heart of the Matter, and what a…
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Phantom Music
I was lying in bed the other morning; I had already taken my ear plugs out. I am such a light sleeper (perhaps because of my early years of waking up to my dad’s night music) that I wear them every night. Suddenly, I cocked my head. “What was that?” It was distant and fuzzy,…
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I guess it was inevitable. Last week, I contracted Covid. This week, I feel about 58.9% better. Since I really can’t pull too many thoughts or sentences together, I thought I’d re-blog Mitch Temley. He’s a popular blogger, writer, filmmaker and public speaker who lives with his wife in Cincinnati, Ohio. When I noticed one…
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The Desk
I’m on my hands and knees under a piece of furniture, looking up, holding a magnifying glass in my hand. It’s a tight fit and at my age, it is no small challenge to maneuver. I’m searching for a stamped name or insignia which might help identify its era. Getting that specific history right for…
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Once in a Lifetime
For most of September, I have been on an unexpected hiatus. I needed time to finalize plans for my mother’s service, pull my thoughts and words together for a eulogy, and spend time with my visiting family. I debated how to approach my next post as I have focused (understandably so) on Gretchen’s passing. I…
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There’s More to the Story
My family will gather soon to say goodbye to my mom. It has been a month now since she passed, which is impossible to believe. I looked back at my blog and counted 40 posts written about her and the challenges of how to help an aging parent. Documenting the many situations and solutions was…
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The Colors of the Sea
The second I saw the Capiz shell wind chime in the store, I thought “mom.” A Capiz shell is a round, nearly flat shell and is thin as glass. In their natural state, they are a shiny white, but these store shells were dyed in beautiful shades of turquoise, purple, pale green and yellow; some…
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Why We Swim
“Ahh, I remember this book” I think to myself as I pull it from a box of mom’s belongings I had quickly packed when we moved her into Memory Care in March 2021. I had given it to her as a Mother’s Day gift exactly two years ago while she was in a several-month lockdown…
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Looking For Long-Term Solutions for Mom
I was pretty naïve Palm Sunday when I called the nurses’ station at a skilled nursing/rehab center where my 91-year-old mom is currently staying and asked them to do me a favor. “Hi, my name is Melanie and I’m Ginny’s younger daughter” I began. “When you have a moment, can you go to her room…
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Putting On Brave Faces
It has been months since I wrote about my 91-year-old mother Ginny who resides in Memory Care (the highest level of nursing and trained staff to help with behaviors associated with dementia and memory loss.) I had really liked that November post because we had shared a nice Thanksgiving meal and live music that evening…
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