November 16, 2016

Wednesday lunch with my stepmom! Jane was still in bed when I got there, though not sleeping. She doesn’t know to initiate anymore so she will stay in bed until someone comes to get her. She did not know who I was, but got up easily for Emely, one of her care givers. I fed Jane lunch & about half way through eating she connected the dots & realized who I was. She smiled at me & was then present the rest of our visit. Some days it just takes her brain longer to catch up.

It’s really nice here in Phoenix today so Jane & I walked a bunch after lunch. We did our typical lap of her facility & sat in our swing to chat. I told Jane I could really use her counsel right now & I miss her. She smiled big & said yeah. So I talked & she listened. Jane is my stepmom & our relationship is different than my relationship with my mom. I would look to Jane for guidance on different items than I would look to my mom. I hate the disease has taken that from us. Since Jane was really aware today, I asked her if she would like to see my pictures from Paris & she said yes. She would oooh when she saw an image she really liked. A few times she would look at an image & grin from ear to ear – was she remembering her trip to Paris with my dad all those years ago? She really liked the picture of me standing on the glass of the Eiffel Tower – especially when I showed her my feet & how far down I would fall if the glass were to break. She giggled & told me she liked that one. I asked her if she was afraid of heights & she said oh no.

While I hate that my stepmom can no longer counsel me & carry on a regular conversation, I cherish the time I have left with her & especially enjoy the days where we have a nice visit.