Sometimes, when we have expectations about people or situations, we are surprised by the actual occurrences. That was certainly the case for us this week when we “vacationed” in Boca. We needed to get away, and my cousin generously allowed us to stay in his lovely house. It’s always nicer to get away when you don’t have to spend a fortune. So we are thankful that he allowed us to use his house which is close to friends and all the things we needed to do.
My high school boyfriend, who by the way will always be my boyfriend, is in an independent-assisted living facility. From what I understand, he exhibited signs of dementia or altzheimers, and he couldn’t live on his own. When you think about people who need to be cared for, you don’t think they will be people who are athletically strong and dynamic. You think people who have issues about remembering or functioning will be old and infirmed. This is not always the case. And while he is physically strong, he is having problems with short term memory. He remembers everything that happened when we were in high school, but not what happened yesterday. Anyway, the most difficult part of the visit was to see him with “caretakers.” They love and respect who he is and who he was, but they are still caretakers, and that is disconcerting — to say the least.
Quite a few years ago, one of my favorite cousins had a serious stroke. His recovery has been long and painful for both he and his wife. The example of my parents is always with me: it is not easy to be a caretaker. Over the years his speech has improved but he is still unable to communicate what he wants. The painful part is that he knows exactly what he wants to say. He knows exactly what he wants. He is just limited by his ability to express it. But we spent some quality time with him tonight. We ate caviar, drank wine, cleaned out all the leftovers in her fridge and told stories, old and new. He laughed and was a full participant in the conversation. Although his vocabulary was limited, there was no doubt that he was totally involved in what we were all saying. It was such a joy to see him as he always was — with only some limitations.
As is usually the case with my cousins, she discovered that new friends of hers were also long time very good friends (family) of ours. She invited all of us to have lunch. It is impossible for me to explain how much we loved and lost touch with these people. And it will not happen again. It’s terrible when we lose track of people we love. Because you never know what is in the future. It may be that everything remains the same. Or it may be that something dreadful will happen to them or you. And it may be that too much time passes before you reconnect. But whatever it is, based on this week in our lives, we must treasure the people we love and never let them be missing persons in our lives.
It was a wonderful week - happy, sad, enlightening, tragic, and inspirational. I intend to keep these wonderful people in my life. Because love and memories do not just appear, they have to be nurtured and respected. As part of what we do everyday. We must all be caretakers. We’re just sayin’… Iris
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