Mom has been gone for a little over 6 weeks now and the
adjustments to her absence are coming to me slowly but surely. My daily schedule no longer revolves around
visits to the Care Center, though my fiancée and I have gone back twice to
bring fudge and to say hello to all of the wonderful people who helped with mom’s
care. Some of them have become very good
friends of ours.
Mike and I also took the opportunity to make a trip to the gulf
coast of Florida for a week in early February.
(Here we are in Detroit waiting for our connection to Tampa). Last year in February I went south for a week with sister-in-law Julie,
and while she and I had a good time, there was always the overriding concern for
mom and her care while I was away. This
time, the sense of freedom I felt was palpable.
My every waking moment was devoted to only one thing – enjoying my time
with Mike. Which beach would we walk on
today? What trolley shall we catch? Which lunch spot will we pick? How late will we sleep? 
What a different life I have now! Retirement is finally beginning to be what I
imagined it could be. I have so much to
be grateful for. I have a warm house and
a car that runs and food to eat and a fuzzy little kitty to purr me to
sleep. I have a fantastic man in my life
whom I adore and who adores me. I have
family to visit with and love too, and I have friends who have stayed in touch
with me both bm (before mom) and am. I
am freed from the demands of work and stupid supervisors, freed from people who
felt as if they could judge me and find me wanting, freed from the worries and
cares that plague so many people. I am
simply free to enjoy my life, and my intention is to continue to enjoy this for
as long as I can. I know that before
long there will be an important issue to claim me again, so this time is
precious. I plan to relish every single minute. Thanks to all of you who still read
this. And trust me, there is more to
come!
I may just have to change the title of my blog from Alzheimer's Avenue to Adventures with Mike :) !!!
