Velvet
I confess that my recent writings have become a chronicle of caregiving for an aging parent. But I ask your forgiveness and patience. For these things will pass. And I pray that in some small way, these words are a lamplight for other travelers along this path. And I pray as well, that they’ll help me remember what not to forget. The jury has been out on diagnosing my mother with new layers of dementia, verses common reactions to medication that can spontaneously occur in the elderly. Last night, the gavel came down, in full effect, with a blow to my heart. It took my breath away in its thunder and reverberated like a drumbeat of what is to come and what has been and what is no more. There are some rules of engagement in the daily care of my mother. The lights must always be on. The door must always be open. And the television must always be broadcasting Turner Classic Movies at full blast volume. I have learned some things about these classics that hold my mother in rapt at...