Shelter in Place

Shelter in place…our county has now joined several others in Texas as we stand together to slow the spread of Covid-19. Although our lives have shifted from our normal, some things are still a constant. For those that don’t know, my mom moved into a skilled nursing facility that specializes in dementia last fall. She has adjusted well…honestly, we have all adjusted well in making one of the toughest decisions ever…placing your parent in a nursing facility. I’ll save that conversation for another post. A couple weeks ago, all nursing homes closed their doors to outside visitors to protect the residents. I get it, I understand and appreciate isolating our most vulnerable during this global pandemic. Mama has her flip phone and has stayed in daily contact with family and friends since she moved in. Always one to stay on top of local news, it seemed to take a while before mama mentioned the “germ” going around. That’s what she has been calling it most often. Early on, she referred to it as “the weather” and lately it’s been a virus. She’s most worried about me traveling to Austin, so that tells me she is tuned in to the Austin television station. She switched from watching the Temple/Waco broadcast years ago when my kiddos moved to attend @theuniversityoftexas . Not being able to see her is hard, but at least we have a way to stay in touch. Yesterday, was a hard day…for both of us. Sometimes the confusion she is experiencing makes it hard to communicate. Often, the nurses call and ask me to “talk her down” from a situation. It’s easy for me. After all she raised me and we have our own way of communicating. Alesi and Ayrton spent enough time around her that she’s had a huge impact on who they are today and they get our “lingo” as well. Scary..isn’t it? She still makes me laugh at some of her comments. She still makes me cringe at some of her comments. And she is still the most positive, upbeat person I’ve ever known. I hold onto those positive vibes she emits and the many lessons she has taught me. I hope to be half as sassy as she is when I’m 85! 😉💕