For many years there has been happiness, laughter, tears, worry, prayer, faith, hope, and above all love between these walls.
Emotional day tomorrow as I hand back the keys to this little apartment that served as a home for my beautiful mom and dad.
Although the move into this apartment was another stage of life for mom and dad, the move happened because of health reasons for both. The stairs were just to much for dad, and mom was already showing signs of early dementia, and this building had many connections to benefits that would be in place for when they were needed.
Throughout the years mom and dad were faced with so many trials, but their love for one another seemed to create a fence of protection to this cruel world of reality.
Now to many it was just another apartment, another place where Lawrence and Holly lived, their visitors were not in abundance, and especially when mom was diagnosed with mixed aggressive dementia the visitors seemed to become even more sparse; if dad noticed he did not voice his disappointment, he was to busy becoming caregiver and taking on another life, the life of his love Holly. He would become her memory, her shadow of her life, and almost rob dad of his very own life.
God does everything in His own time, and His timing was this Spring. First mom was placed into Rockwood a Long Term Care Home, and soon to follow my daddy. There of course is a lot of go betweens this paragraph, but through the struggles and hardships our perseverance and faith has paid off.
For the last seven years the two and a half hour drive we would make almost every weekend to apartment 208 seemed to become shorter and shorter as the urgency and love became reality and apart of our lives. Although the care load increased through the many stages my heart never got tired of hitting the buttons #22 and to hear dads voice say, “apartment 208” 🙂 the ride up in the elevator, and the walk down the hall and seeing my mom and dads faces peering around the corner, until dad had to keep the door locked and barred due to the severity of moms dementia. I will never forget the creek of the door labelled 208, the familiar scent of dads cooking, A5 35 and dad hollering come on in, and mom saying come here, don’t let scamper out!
Too many memories to pen today, but they are in my heart and will forever remain for future recollections.
This past week has been very hectic and with no complaints I say my plate has been full, but to my wonderful surprise, my dear hubby and my wonderful sister June surprised me and went and worked so very very hard, and so many hours at completing the final clean out and packing and moving of apartment 208. My heart is so thankful and words don’t express my gratitude.
Tomorrow I will go and do my final walk through and in my heart hear feel and sense the love happiness and pain of apartment 208. I will say my final so long to another chapter in my parents dear lives, and although the apartment has been scrubbed from top to bottom it can never erase all these cherished times, treasured memories I will hold in my heart and life forever.
After I hand the keys over I will cry because I know me, but I will dry my tears and go to Rockwood and celebrate dads 79th birthday with him, I will laugh and cry and talk about happy things, we will talk about mom’s return to Rockwood on Monday from Owen Sound hospital where the doctors have done an amazing job of levelling out her medications. We will rejoice together of the countless blessings through trials and with taking one day at a time move forward in creating more treasured times and memories in their new home Rockwood.
Another chapter in my parents lives, I am truly blessed to be apart in the making of these memories, and will forever cherish every minute spent making them.
So – long apartment 208 thank you for keeping my parents safe and holding their memories between your walls for years to come.
Kathy
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