My mother looks forward to calls, notes and visits, particularly from my brothers – I have three of them. She enjoys hearing what they are up to and what’s going on with her grandchildren – she has seven of them. Unfortunately, she doesn’t retain the information for very long and has difficulty remembering which grandchild goes with which son! But that’s another story.
I mentioned in another post (have I told you lately that I’m 90?) that one brother and sister-in-law came to my mother’s 90th birthday party. It was terrific to see them and we all had a good time. Another brother calls frequently and it’s always interesting to hear my mother’s interpretation of the call. Sometimes, follow-up text messages are in order!
My oldest brother and his wife have made a couple of trips to see us. They live across the country, so it is always great to have them come to visit. After weeks of Skype calls, the four of us were finally all in the same room. We hadn’t all been in the same room for quite some time.
On the first visit, we tried to pack in activities and it was great to get out of the apartment and do something different. I don’t have a car, so being able to zip around was a nice change. It was a little tiring for my mother, but she was enjoying her time out and was excited to see where we were going next. We talked and ate and laughed and enjoyed each other’s company.
On the second visit, during the extreme heat of July, we stayed in. In may ways, this was a more intimate visit. We talked. We went to dinner. We ate ice cream. This was nice, too. Staying put was relaxing. Mom held court and, without the distractions of other people and new things, she could focus on the conversation. Again, we enjoyed each other’s company.
Both visits, in their own way, were just what was needed at the time. It’s funny how it all worked out that way … we didn’t plan on the heat being so oppressive, but it gave us time to really talk and understand each other a little better.
That said, I think they mentioned trying a different season for the next visit!
my mother, my cat and me 