This Sunday morning I took Mom up to the New York Botanical Garden to see the Orchid show. A nice break from the routine for both of us.
It's been a rough couple of months as we've come to the place in our lives where the role of caretaker transfers from the parent to the child. She's fighting it every step of the way and while I admire the struggle to hold on to independence, it became evident that I needed to take over paying bills, scheduling doctor appointments and arranging day to day tasks.
The level of involvement will only increase in the months to come and at some point I'll need to call in some help. For now we achieved a plateau which I hope will remain stable for the near term.
Our adventure gave her a chance to marvel at how amazing this universe is; how abundant and varied, how intensely colorful and lush. Best of all she forgot her troubles for a bit which was a relief.
I'm going to try to inject more of these little events into her life, while she can still enjoy them. Who knows if she really remembers them a week later, but at least she enjoyed the moment.
10 comments:
It is nice that you were able to give your mother a lovely afternoon. This transition must be very difficult for both of you, and I'm thinking of you as you undertake it.
Oh dear, having lived through this with my father-in-law, I can truly empathize. The gorgeousness of the orchids really juxtaposes with the day-to-day reality -- what a lovely post.
It sounds like you both had a lovely time together. The photos are gorgeous.
You look a lot like your mother (that's a good thing). It's great you are looking towards having more of these moments together.
I just watched the James Strickland TED talk. He believes and proves that you can change a situation by surrounding it with music and "flowers" The Orchid show is an excellent venue!
Awww, hugs to you. That must be so hard, but you seem to be making the most of it. We should meet up soon!
Been there, done that. . . Enjoy those moments while you can.
Gorgeous flowers - and touching reflections on your relationship with your mum.
Beautiful flowers and sounds like a lovely afternoon.
I'm so glad you were able to have this day together. the flowers are just gorgeous, as is your mother.
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