Six years ago...

Six years ago, I was celebrating Mother’s Day in Silicon Valley with Alesi. She had taken a new role in The Bay Area and we loaded up her Toyota Corolla with all it could hold at the beginning of May and headed west. Duane and I tried our best to bite our tongue and not offer advice when she was offered the role and when she asked what she should do. Duane, being the Sherpa he is, offered the following, “Go, and if you hate it, load up and come home. But give it six months.” As many of you know, she is still in California. Many have asked how we could let her move and our answer is always, how could we not? After all, we had always encouraged her to pursue her dreams. We just never realized that could mean leaving the great state of Texas! This was my first trip to the west coast so of course I wanted to tour all the landmarks. The Bay Area is beautiful with its redwoods, the Pacific Coastline and the weather is fabulous almost year round. After about two weeks, she was settled into her apartment and started her new job. My work there was done and it was time for me to board a plane from SFO bound for Austin. Aside from losing my Daddy, I believe the trip to the airport that beautiful May day six years ago is one of the hardest days I’ve experienced. You see, as the song says, I left my heart in San Francisco. This year, thanks to Covid-19, my “Cali Girl” is spending time here. I’m not sure how long she will be able to stay, but I am doing my best to soak up each moment.

Renaissance Villa Car Parade

Since visitors aren't allowed in nursing homes due to social distancing guidelines, Renaissance Villa staff gathered family and friends earlier today for a car parade. They organized the parade down Dyer Street so family and friends could wave to their loved ones. I haven’t seen my mom in person since we left for Las Vegas in late February. She has her cell phone so she still calls us - usually daily. It was tough to pull up and realize she didn’t know who we were. She stared at us for a few seconds with a blank expression. In typical Faye Davidson fashion, she soon flashed her trademark smile and said she wasn’t expecting to see us today. My nephew was behind us in the parade and brought her Chihuahua, Spanky. Alesi and I knew she had regressed when we heard her say, “Oh, look at the doggie!” She didn’t recognize Spanky or the fact that Will Owen was driving her old car. I knew the day would come when she would struggle to recognize us, but I didn’t expect to feel like I just ran into a brick wall…Jesus take the wheel. “Someone once said when you love someone with Dementia you lose them twice.” Once when they are diagnosed and then when they die. This “Ambiguous Loss” is when they are physically present but not mentally and emotionally as before. They change physically and eventually forget who their loved ones are.” I share this because I want others who are experiencing or may experience the hard truths of Dementia to know they are not alone. Sometimes in life there are situations you cannot fix. Be assured everything is “figureoutable” but that doesn’t always translate to a cure. The reality is some days will be hard. This journey is not an easy one, however I find comfort in knowing she is receiving the best care possible. Just like she took care of us all those years, now is the time for us to take care of her the best we can. Thank you, Renaissance Villa for organizing the car parade so we could interact with her today. What a creative way to get everyone together on a gorgeous May morning. Grateful for the healthcare heroes who take such great care of my Mama and so many others. And most thankful for the amazing, long life she has lived and the lessons she continues to give.

It's May already, y'all!

Can you believe it’s already May? How can a year go by so fast and yet seem to crawl when I look back at the past couple months? I think we all share a level of uncertainty as we move forward. I’ve been hunkered down here at The Ridge since mid-March. I’m not going to lie. Some days have been down right hard. Surely I am not the only person who has had those feelings during this quarantine? Texas reopened today and I want to share a few things just so I don’t forget. Today, the lowest gas price in our area is $1.43 per gallon. Alesi asked me this morning where or what is the first thing I want to do? I did not have an answer. I did check to see if Chuy’s opened their dining area and their name was not on the list for Austin. I probably have never cooked this much at home…ever! I have opted to gather groceries curbside and subscribe to mail order meal kits. It’s been nice to know what we are preparing each day. It has also been nice to see how much Ayrton enjoys cooking. I have another confession to make. Even before this pandemic, I have been a fan of online shopping. There is no way I can hide my addiction from Duane even if I tried. Daily visits from UPS, FedEx or Amazon is the norm around here. Online shopping has filled in the gaps where I wasn’t able to obtain things curbside. I have also learned the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree and Alesi gets her online shopping fetish honestly. Despite all the uncertainty this “pandemic” has created, I know for certain the sun will continue to rise each day.