What up Wednesday

So yesterday, I got "the call".

"You and your sister better come and see your mother as soon as you can."

When you have a family member in hospice, every time the phone rings, your heart sinks a little. It was late in the afternoon and coincidentally, Lisa and I had both gotten home early from work so we were able to make the 2 mile journey to see Mom together.

Her condition was pretty poor but in true Mom fashion, a few hours later, she had stabilized again. Bernie and I went to visit her this morning and the minute we turned down the hall toward her unit, I heard a nurse call out, "Oh my gosh! That must be Bernadette! I recognize her from her pictures." Mom's room is FILLED with pictures of "the baby".

Bernie was a huge hit, basking in the lovin' from the nurses. Normally, when you bring a dog in, you need to keep them leashed and close to you but the hospice unit has its own set of rules, which are basically "anything goes". The unit consists of glass doors enclosing 6 suites with a common area in the center that has a TV and chairs. It's also where the nurses and aides hang out so they can attend to people immediately when they need something.

I was talking to my mother and when I looked down, Bernie was nowhere to be found. She had wandered into the common area, looking for someone to dote on her. She plays them by giving them this, "Woe is me.." look.


There were a few patients out there but since most of them have limited mobility, I picked her up and took her from person to person to say hello. It's amazing how a person's demeanor changes in the presence of a dog. There were smiles all around and I'm glad that Bernie could bring some small amount of happiness to their day.

There was a new aide there today and she came in to chat with me to catch up on what Mom's particular needs are. When she left, my mother turned to me, tilted her head and got this faraway look in her eyes as she stared at me.

I started calling out to her, "Mom! Mom, are you okay?"

She finally blinked and then did it again.

"Mom! Is something wrong? Can you hear me?"

She blinked again and said, "God, you're slow today."

"What?"

She replied, "I'm imitating the way that girl was looking at you. I think she's in love with you."

It was so funny! She's still kickin'.

Then the rabbi came in and she told him how she was going to start walking again soon. She just won't give up! I had never met him before and we had a nice conversation. As he was leaving, he turned to my mother and said, "You have a very beautiful daughter."

When he left, she said,"Boy, you're popular with the boys and girls today, aren't you?"

I just shook my head and laughed.