It's the little things in life...

I spent the morning with mom and dad. Mom was glad to see me arrive at 9 A.M. Dad was over having coffee with Wayne and she was alone. We decided to go for a walk to see if the blueberries were ripe. She was talking in her southern drawl saying, " Yeah, I know. I know. I know." Then, "I don't know. I don't know." I would say the same things in a funny voice and she would laugh. She was confused about the neighbors driveway as she saw it through the trees. She asked a couple times if it was water. She can't recall the neighbors names and some times thinks there are a couple ladies living there instead a husband and wife. These are neighbors that mom & dad have had dinner with and visited with.
On Sunday, mom sat through the long church service as the new minister was being instated. Later, she was clueless about what happened.
The last couple times I've gone up there she has not been able to feed the chickens. The first time she brought back the feed & realized that she forgot to feed them but said, "Oh, well I'll give it to them tomorrow." Then she brought the feed bucket in the kitchen!
Today she didn't bring enough food and when I told her to go back she was confused about where she was going and then brought two buckets. When we are working in the yard she often confuses tools. Once she brought a big garbage can when we needed a five gallon bucket. She's not sure about rakes, pitch forks and shovels. Why am I writing all this down....I'm sad...it seems she is slipping fast the past month. Dad said this morning she asked where the kids were that had slept in the basement. He said, "There's no kids. We slept down there." She nods off often when sitting in her chair & has had a couple accidents lately. I get tired and frustrated when I am with her but then when I am away I am sad that I am missing time with her & dad. It's hard to find a balance.
As I look back at what I have written it is rambling mess but it has reminded me to focus on the positive....over the weekend we weeded in the rose bed and mom was thrilled with the progress. She kept saying, "I can't believe you are doing that. Look, how much you have done." Her flowers and cats make her very happy and she enjoys a cup of coffee with lots of milk & sugar and she loves cookies and her new favorite thing is yogurt. Every time, I go I bring her some and she can't wait to eat it. She makes noises, "MMMMmmm." While eating it, so for now she is enjoying the little things in life and for that I am very thankful. She also hugs me and kisses me and says, "Oh, what would I do without you?"