Living with the present

Today is my lovely Mums birthday: after what has been a very challenging year for her, I sincerely hope the year ahead is going to be much better for her: she really deserves it.

Yesterday, I got the pressie and card for Mum from Jim and took them around to their house. Having eventually got Jim to acknowledge I wasn’t waving at him but really needed him to come into the kitchen to see what I’d bought (Mum was in the lounge) then to ask him to put the pressie somewhere safe, I showed them to him and he said he’d put them in the bottom cupboard in the kitchen – where the gin bottle is. I explained to him that his suggested hiding place was the easiest place for Mum to find the gift and card, given that she would be refilling her glass, so he said he’d find somewhere else.

Mum then shouted to say she’d run out of milk and bread so would I do to the shop for some – which wasn’t a problem, till I got back to their house!….

“Where did you move Mums card and pressie to?”,I asked Jim. “What card and pressie?”, he replied………….Oh dear! Hope he’s remembered this morning:

a) that its Mums birthday

b) that he has hidden the card and pressie……………..

Reminded me of a story a friend told me about her uncle who was slowly being taken over by dementia: his wife had asked him if he felt well enough to complete a form which was needed and he said yes. She gave him the form and he went into the kitchen to complete the detail but couldn’t remember his name. After a while, he looked around the kitchen while he tried to remember – then, something triggered his memory and he put in all of the details.

His wife took the form and asked him, “Who is George Foreman Grill?”……….