Gift of Time

What if you couldn’t get yourself out of bed in the morning? What if you had to have someone get your clothes together and help you get dressed each day? What if you couldn’t get yourself from one place to the next? What if this was you and you still were able to think clearly and know everything that is going on around you? What if?

This is the situation that my mother is in, due to Parkinson’s she is in a wheelchair and can’t do much for herself these days. My mother retired from a very prominent position with the Dept of Public Health for the State of Michigan. She managed dozens of people over saw the well being of 100s of crippled children that needed assistance in one form or another. Her mind is as clear today even though her speech is becoming more slurred.

What do you give a woman that even the simplest things like brushing her teeth is a challenge. You give her the gift of time. Not time to sit around alone, but your time.

You give her the time to be around people even if she can only watch from the background; you take her home with you and have her soak her feet as you prepare to trim her toes. You put fresh finger nail polish on each week so she feels good. You sit and do a jigsaw puzzled with her and give her time to struggle with putting the pieces in even when you could do it faster.

Today we finished the puzzle we started at Christmas then headed off to see a movie, Alvin and the Chipmunks. Tomorrow I will take her to play bingo. All I can give my mom is my time and for now I will make the time.