Thursday was supposed to be a day for me, but it ended up mostly about Mom. I had a call in the afternoon from Denise, the social worker – Jas had visited with Mom at the Day Center and thought she was sweet. She has agreed to have Mom come and live in her adult family home. She can come on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week. Yikes!!! It was such a relief that everyone agreed to have Mom live there, but it was like a smack in the face to realize it would be next week. I had to just let it sink in and simmer on the back burner for a bit. When I called her, it was the beginning of family training. I was working on quotes for a client in between phone calls, so I worked on that for awhile to let it settle and not feel so immediate.
Of course, the next thing is telling Mom and making the transition. I called Kathy on Friday and asked if she would help me with it since she knows Mom quite well. I also called Jas to thank her for having Mom come to live in the house and to decide what day. I’m not sure if it was relief or just letting go of stress about it that made me feel so tired – I have been exhausted for the past several weeks. I went to see my chiropractor in the morning and went to an engagement lunch for my friend Chloe Ann – I know her from Breakfast Club and have been living vicariously through her for the past year as she has been doing online dating. It is something she never thought she would do, but with help from friends, she did the preparation work to be ready to find the right man. She feels she has and they are going to be married at the end of the month. He lives in Vancouver, Wa and they plan to live there and rent ChloeAnn’s condo for a while. I’m glad I had some time for my own things, then I drove up to the Center to sign the papers and pick up Mom. She didn’t know I was coming, nor does she know about the move.
I talked to the social worker and learned some things about Mom, some of the things she does at the Center and some things I didn’t know she liked. One thing she told me was that Mom really enjoys holding the weighted baby doll they have – that was a surprise. So I decided it might be a good idea to buy her one for the new home. Of course I checked with my doll expert Charlotte. She has been collecting, repairing and making clothes for her dolls and also when she worked in the doll shop. She offered to give Mom one of her weighted baby dolls, a girl in pink. It is a really nice one and I am so amazed at such a generous gift. When I was at the Center, I asked to see the baby doll she has been holding so I could see if it is similar to the one Charlotte has. I think so. So I will happily accept her gift for Mom. She also has been enjoying holding a very large bear – I checked my supplier and they have one I can order so Mom has another option. I may not do both all at once, just see how things go.
I talked to Kathy today to find out how to start the process of transition – she said we need to tell Mom now, plus she will come by to visit after I tell her to help reassure her. So I will tell her tomorrow morning and then Kathy will come by about noon with salads to have lunch. I’ll just tell Mom Kathy called and wanted to come and visit. We’ll see what happens after that. She emphasized I need to make it positive and to say that Jas has invited her to come there to live. I am just going to ask God, my angels, spirit guides and master teachers to give me the words, actions, attitude, etc. and I will just show up and get out of the way. Otherwise I will worry and agonized about what to say and wonder if I “get it right”. Unfortunately I tend t0 over analyze things, driving myself nuts.
There has been a small part of me that has been feeling a bit guilty for doing this. The social worker said something that helped me feel better about it – she said Mom is at a good stage for the transition because she is still social. If I wait too long, it may be much harder for Mom to adjust. Jas suggested not seeing for a week, maybe two while Mom adjusts. Then visit for only 15 minutes, bringing her something. then Jas will distract her and I need to leave quickly. One step at a time.
Gift of RA 