The Mom Whisperer
That is Voyageur's new title - Mom Whisperer. At some point, Mom and Voyageur have devised their own short hand, their own language. Mom knows she can trust Voyageur, no matter what. Even if it's really hard. My role is to help maintain some form of normalcy, whatever the hell that is.
Today I got a call from Mom. She said her phone wasn't working - well clearly it was, cause she called me. She meant to call Voyageur, dialed me instead. But in her demented mind, the phone wasn't working. And then she told me that my aunt had some of Voyageur's things in her van, she paused and said she knew what she was saying wasn't making sense, and tried again. I said, 'Don't worry Mom. I understand. I will call Voyageur and we will work it out.' Mom was so confused, and knew she was confused and wasn't making sense.
I called Voyageur, explained and she said, don't worry, I'll take care of it. Which she did. Half hour later I get a call back and Voyageur says, 'I'm the Mom Whisperer.' We both start laughing, and it's true. With a few words, a calm voice, Voyageur is able to get Mom back on track.
As we rapidly approach the holiday, each one of us has our own challenges. Mom misses Dad, is a little more sad, and sees him more and her other symptoms kick into higher gear. Voyageur is busy with work and busy taking care of Mom, and is first responder to Mom's needs. She went over to Mom's last night, just to make sure Mom was ok. Me, well I'm not going back home this holiday as I went home for Thanksgiving. I get the call when Mom meant to call someone else and then she attempts to explain to me - but it's all non sequitur jumbled up mish mosh.
This is one of the saddest diseases to experience as a loved one. There is no hope for a cure, that some medication will slow down her symptoms. Day by day, week by week, the person we once knew slips away. And yet I'm still bizarrely grateful for it. In an instant, the moment of diagnosis, I went from someone who knew how I should live (and sometimes was living that way) to a person who experiences every exquisite moment, knowing there are no ordinary moments, squeezing the juice out of life. And Mom is a happier person, overall less stressed and lights up over the simplest things. Hell, isn't that how we all should be?
This video is finding its way around Facebook and it is what the holidays are to me - extraordinary inside the ordinary.
Today I got a call from Mom. She said her phone wasn't working - well clearly it was, cause she called me. She meant to call Voyageur, dialed me instead. But in her demented mind, the phone wasn't working. And then she told me that my aunt had some of Voyageur's things in her van, she paused and said she knew what she was saying wasn't making sense, and tried again. I said, 'Don't worry Mom. I understand. I will call Voyageur and we will work it out.' Mom was so confused, and knew she was confused and wasn't making sense.
I called Voyageur, explained and she said, don't worry, I'll take care of it. Which she did. Half hour later I get a call back and Voyageur says, 'I'm the Mom Whisperer.' We both start laughing, and it's true. With a few words, a calm voice, Voyageur is able to get Mom back on track.
As we rapidly approach the holiday, each one of us has our own challenges. Mom misses Dad, is a little more sad, and sees him more and her other symptoms kick into higher gear. Voyageur is busy with work and busy taking care of Mom, and is first responder to Mom's needs. She went over to Mom's last night, just to make sure Mom was ok. Me, well I'm not going back home this holiday as I went home for Thanksgiving. I get the call when Mom meant to call someone else and then she attempts to explain to me - but it's all non sequitur jumbled up mish mosh.
This is one of the saddest diseases to experience as a loved one. There is no hope for a cure, that some medication will slow down her symptoms. Day by day, week by week, the person we once knew slips away. And yet I'm still bizarrely grateful for it. In an instant, the moment of diagnosis, I went from someone who knew how I should live (and sometimes was living that way) to a person who experiences every exquisite moment, knowing there are no ordinary moments, squeezing the juice out of life. And Mom is a happier person, overall less stressed and lights up over the simplest things. Hell, isn't that how we all should be?
This video is finding its way around Facebook and it is what the holidays are to me - extraordinary inside the ordinary.