When I opened the envelope addressed to Family Laughon the receptionist at Circle Center cheerfully handed me, I was not expecting the surprise that was waiting for me inside.
It was a card and the cover read, A Season of Thanks.
After opening it I found myself captured by the picture of my little mom in that big old chair, the printed message and most of all, mom’s signature!
It reminded me of when I would get cards from my daughters, Tovi and Lissi, when they were in pre-school, kindergarten and lower school. I could see their drawings, their messages and their signatures flash before me.
Those cards were priceless and so is this one from mom.
Thanks and hugs go to the magic caregivers’ at Circle Center, mom’s daycare-extraordinaire castle, club house … world.
Like I said, I love mom’s signature!
Oh, and did I also mention, I love my mom!
These are special times, make the most of them!
Make sure you give thanks to the people who are meaningful in your life.
Happy Thanksgiving … A Season of Thanks!
My 91 Year Old Mom 
We’ve made a lot of memories with Helen at Thanksgiving.
My Thanksgivings in Richmond over the last 6 years or so have been interesting to say the least. They haven’t been the picture perfect Thanksgivings that have spanned generations that I’ve heard so much about from family & friends – the ones where everyone is gathered around a beautifully set dining room table, where dinner is kicked off by Helen telling the story of the first Thanksgiving and the gift is the company of close family, friends and whoever needed a place to be on this holiday.
My Thanksgivings at Cheswick have been a mix of laughter, joy, stories, imploded turkeys (when Nel put the oven on clean vs bake) and all the pain and sorrow that Alzheimer’s introduces to a family. With all the ups and downs, my favorite Thanksgiving is the year that we filmed Helen, Nel and you singing “A Gift to Be Simple”! You’ve blogged about this memory before so the video is in the blog or readers can copy and past this link to watch – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJj0UwqkeQE
We have a lot to be thankful for this year and I’m looking forward to spending tomorrow with Helen and “her boy”. With Helen, it is sure to be a day filled with surprises and plenty of stories to share. But, it will be also be the first Thanksgiving without Nel and her song and her joy and her devotion. And, for that I am crying and will be watching the video that we cherish many times this Thanksgiving. I’m relieved that Nel is no longer suffering and I am “cryin for me” as the song goes – below are some of the lyrics:
Got the news on Friday mornin’
But a tear I couldn’t find
You showed me how I’m supposed to live
And now you showed me how to die
I was lost till Sunday mornin’
I woke up to face my fear
While I’m writing you this goodbye song
I found a tear
I’m gonna miss that smile
I’m gonna miss you my friend
Even though it hurts the way it ended up
I’d do it all again
So play it sweet in heaven
‘Cause that’s right where you wanna be
I’m not crying ’cause I feel so sorry for you
I’m crying for me
I got up and dialed your number
And your voice came on the line
That old familiar message
I heard a thousand times it just said
Sorry that I missed you
Leave a message and god bless
I know you think I’m crazy
But I had to hear your voice I guess
I’m gonna miss that smile
I’m gonna miss you my friend
Even though it hurts the way it ended up
I’d do it all again
So play it sweet in heaven
‘Cause that’s right where you wanna be
I’m not crying ’cause I feel so sorry for you
I’m crying for me
I’m still crying
I’m crying for me
I’m still crying
LikeLike
I, too, loved the photo of your wee little mom in that big ole chair but it was her signature that cheered me most.
What a thoughtful thing for the care center to do!
LikeLike
Your mom makes my day every time I see your blogs! She looks so sweet and caring in that big chair. I love the signature as well. It reminds me of my moms signature at one time in her life. Thank you for always sharing with all of us. I say this for everyone who reads your blogs we love it!!
LikeLike