Easter visit

Mom looked beautiful in her bright red cotton turtleneck when I arrived at their condo in Lenox on Thursday for the Easter Holiday. The remainder of weekend she wore an assortment of pale colored yellow and lavender blouses my dad thoughtfully chose for her. It was a pleasure to prepare the Easter dinner which consisted of a Krakus Ham, Yams, Asparagus and Yellow Summer Squash. A plate adapter was purchased at Flynn's Pharmacy and Medical Supply Store to help mom with meals. Dad feeds her now as much as she feeds herself and I see how lovingly he does this but cannot escape the fact that it feels so unnatural for him. He wants her to be well enough to feed herself of course. I struggle with how much to intervene regarding his enormous effort in terms of the care-giving role he has assumed. But as he said, he does not make a distinction between being her husband/life partner and being a care-giver. He just loves and needs her that much. I helped out as much as I could moving some furniture to make room for the wheelchair to get by, cooking the meals and digging into financial matters. The joy and pain of bearing witness to this phase of theirs, and my life, can not be measured in the finite terms we are accustomed. And that makes it challenging to find comfort when words and language are so integral how we communicate. I wish and hope that my dad can do deeply into his emotional soul and find the connection with his God that will help unburden the tremendous hole being left as mom deteriorates. The camera did bear witness this weekend to moments of such precious love and caring, faith is restored in me that our transcendent God looks down on us even in times of trial and suffering, and perhaps more acutely during those times. I shot about 3 more hours this visit including some footage of my moms Hospice Nurse. I had a nice conversation with her before she left. The people that do this work are indeed angels of a sort. I know my parents had to do some work to find the right ones but the caregivers in place now are loving, compassionate and skilled people. And my mom brings out the best in them even from her diminished state. More about that the music that has been her life-long inspiration another time. Blessings and Happy Spring to everyone!