November/Thanksgiving 2009

Thanksgiving was a little bit different this year. In many many many many years past before and after getting married, we have spent Thanksgiving with my mom's side of the family (Memo, Aunts, Uncles) Most of the reason we have done this is Memo. Words cannot even express how special Memo is to me. I feel like parts of my childhood are defined my relationship with her. The summers I would go and spend weeks at her house and she would sleep with me and tell me story after story after story---never tiring of the stories. The Hico summer reunion/festival/carnival we would always go to. The ice cream and other goodies she kept in her "icebox." The look on my face and excitement I felt in my heart as I got to that last hill where, going down, you could see the little sign that was just before her street. I tear up just thinking about all that. Memo is 90-something. Age is just a number right? haha Anyway, a few years ago, she moved to a kind of assisted living facility---not a nursing home---but somewhere she could get care and we, her family, didn't have to worry about her doing something crazy like hurting herself or burning her house down trying to cook a strawberry cake (I don't know though, the strawberry cake might have been worth it) Even her moving to the assisted living facility was hard for me---all of my family really. After her husband passed away (as I so affectionately called him my Popeye) it was Memo and her house. He passed away 24 years ago I believe, so its been a while. She hosted her little busy bee clubs at her house (which I thought was so dang cute just because of the name) You know, I could go on and on about the special things about Memo and her life. My point was that this year, for Thanksgiving, she didn't feel well enough to even leave her room. She is now in a nursing home and just not doing so well. She has had several bouts of pneumonia and major major dementia. In light of all this, I decided, rather than dragging my kids to Waco for Thanksgiving and them not even being able to see Memo, I would take a trip by myself. Because she lives in Waco, I don't have the luxury of going to visit and just "sitting" and talking the afternoon away with her. I decided that is what I would do. I had to mentally prepare myself though, because the last I saw her she was not in good shape at all and totally out of it. My mom and I were having a hard time keeping it together (this was in September for Memo's birthday....if I blogged like I should have, I would have blogged about that) Anyway, I packed up my mani/pedi kit and good smelling lotion, thinking I could do her toes or massage her feet/legs. I remember being little and having so much fun massaging her legs when they hurt so bad from arthritis.

So here is the drive there from my view.

Lots of this on the way to Hico, Texas. If you look closely, you can see the Meridian sign. That was one of the signs I was always happy to see, because it meant we were getting very close to Hico!

What a wonderful surprise I got (and so did she) upon my arrival. It took her only a second to figure out who I was, then she just laughed and laughed. We had the best visit ever. I had my Memo back. We talked and talked and talked and if I had known it was going to be so much fun, I would have camped out on her couch in her room. I didn't want to leave at the end of the day and she didn't want me to either! I got out my goodies and painted her toenails and massaged her feet and she just thought it was heaven. She kept laughing at how bright red I painted her toes (it wasn't really that bright)

She made a big deal about dinner. She wanted to have me eat with her as a guest. I was thinking....um....nursing home food...hmmm.. Buuuut.....it made her so happy I accepted the food and ate every uh, interesting bite of the mushed up fattening goodness. Still not sure exactly what it was. She was very concerned about me getting sweetener for my tea. I got my sweetener. Dinner was perfect. The visit was perfect. We hugged and I held back tears as I often do and I left. What a wonderful perfect day. We missed her this Thanksgiving and the rest of my family ended up going up to Waco and she was okay so we could have gone, buy other plans had already been made. I was happy with how it turned out. I also missed my Aunt and Uncle, but will see them soon.

The drive back was...dark...and late....and I needed lots of coffee. The next picture would be of flashing lights in the rear view mirror and a not so friendly police officer giving me a ticket in the city of Calvert, Texas. I was so nervous, I handed him my credit card when he asked for my drivers license. I am so glad he didn't' make me take some kind of walk the line test---because you know how crazy it is in those nursing homes with the booze and all. I got home, with my ticket (worth every annoying penny) and my happy memories very late that night and went to sleep thinking of happy memories with Memo. I didn't take any pictures while I was there this time, but I will post a couple here from a few years ago:

She is so sweetly proud of her great-grandchildren. I wish they really could know her like I do. I start to get sad about them missing out, but that is how life goes, and besides, they have their own sweet Mimi and Oma to have this with. Oh, and believe me, they do.

As I write this blog, I believe Memo is in the hospital again with pneumonia. I hope she gets better---I am selfish, and just not ready to let her go yet :(

That about wraps up Thanksgiving. We spent it at Oma's house and of course, did not take ONE picture! It was great though. The food was wonderful and the kids had a blast and it was kind of nice not packing up to leave (but in a bittersweet kind of way)