Saturday, June 13, 2009

high school reunion






Well, I haven't seen the musical, but I'm thinking it wasn't quite like Mom's high school reunion, Class of 57, that met today for their yearly get-together. Dad said she wouldn't say whether she wanted to go or not, so he figured he'd go ahead and take her. Then last night, I think he began to think about the whole logistics of the thing. What if she needs to go to the restroom? What if I need to go to the restroom and she takes off? What if she just walks out in the middle of everything? He called and asked if I thought she could make it through. I told him, "Mom will have no problem, whatsoever. The question is, can you make it through the class reunion?" That's what he was concerned about.
They met at Ryan's Restaurant in Joplin which made it quite easy for me to drop by and assist as needed. Mom enjoyed seeing everyone, it appeared. She smiled a lot and greeted each person with a pat on the back and many others with a hug. When I pointed and asked who different people were, she correctly answered, "Nana," "Jerry," "Jim," etc. She had no trouble filling her plate at the buffet, or sitting and eating. We took a little walk midway through, which was a blessing to get out in the sunshine for a few minutes and then headed back for the remainder of the visit, giving Dad a few minutes to speak without worring about where she was. I believe I heard they had only 2 classmates missing this time, from what looked to be about a class of 20 or maybe not quite.
Anyway, they were nice folks and it all went smooth as could be. I could tell Mom really enjoyed it as she went down the row of people, patting each one, smiling and nodding to them. One doesn't necessarily need to speak to be sociable! :) And her classmates were so glad to see her and so kind towards her. It was pretty sweet---I know this affects them, as well. Mom always enjoyed going to her class reunions every year and we were glad she was able to go again this year.

Sunday, June 7, 2009

honeysuckle etc.

Nothing new to report, particularly, except that the honeysuckle is blooming and you see Mom standing in front of it in her new size 16 clothes. Yes, she's losing a little weight, but not to worry, it's certainly not from lack of appetite! It's easy to pick nutritious food for someone else to eat, and then consume fast food ourselves! Not to say that she's sugar/junk food deprived....I took her to Sonic for sundaes last week and we had M&M's last night. But on a daily basis, Christine runs a tight ship, as Dad says, and things like pop, (which Mom used to drink a whole lot of), have been cut from the drink menu, (if Christine finds it.) Really, I think if she were thinking clearly, she would be quite pleased with her more healthy self. And of course, she's getting plenty of exercise....always on the go.

Last night we (Mom, Dad, and I), went to see Devri perform in "Beauty and the Beast." It was a ballet and Devri was proud to have her name all by herself for the first time instead of under the heading, "trees," or "snowflakes." She actually had a character with a name! Her character was Selfish, a sister of Beauty from the original writing, and she was all that. All through the ballet Mom pointed to Devri's name in the program. I continued to point her out as the girl with the black hair, but wasn't really sure she could recognize her. I added this photo to show how different Devri looked. Of course, my battery was dead on the camera when Mom and Dad went, so I didn't get a photo of them together. After the performance, when the dancers came out to greet the public, Devri headed right for Grandma. It took a bit, but when she got within three feet, Mom's face lit up like the Fourth of July---the eyebrows went up, the mouth opened in silent exclamation, and she wrapped Devri up in her arms in a tight squeeze. I can only describe it as "joyful exuberance," like finding the Hope Diamond in a box of Crackerjacks. Speaking or not, there was absolutely no doubt that Grandma remains Devri's most dedicated and adoring fan. For a split second there, she was herself again completely....it was a flashback that brought Devri tears, and me a memory to play again and again in my mind, so I never forget what a wonderful moment it was!!