Day 16

"Where are we going?" To Carol's house. "Do you know the way?" Yes. "Are you sure?" Yes, I'm sure. "Well, you know how I worry..." Yes, Mom, I know.

The worried traveler

Day 15

Trying to stay focused on the simple joys of life.

The world is in her hands

Day 14

Another video:  Simple acts, performed with precision and care, seem timeless.

 

Day 13

Watching Santa arrive to light the Christmas tree at the local mall, surrounded by legions of families, holiday shoppers, carolers and bagpipes (yes, bagpipes!), my Mom was transfixed. "Isn't this wonderful?" she exclaimed.

"It's a Wonderful Life"

Day 12

The other day when I was visiting my Mom, sitting with her on the couch, one of the other residents (who is usually off in her own world) came over to us and sat down beside me. My mother (as she typically does to everyone who walks by) smiled and said, "This is my daughter." Without speaking a word, she laid her head on my shoulder.

At sundown time

Day 11

Not your typical Thanksgiving story: This morning, a man stole my flag (and the flagpole that it was hanging from) from my front door. Surprised, I called out for him to stop, but he just kept walking away. I fumbled with my phone to try to get a photo of him. That got his attention: he turned around and charged after me with the flagpole, warning me that I'd better run away. So I did. 

Morning menace

Day 10

In honor of Thanksgiving:

Giving thanks and praise

Day 9

 

Mom, in the garden, with a few of her friends who have since moved on.

Day 8

Yesterday's photo reminded me of this image from a few years ago:  Another mother and son, a comforting embrace, but the roles are reversed.

Dance in the chapel

Day 7

Comfort

Day 6

"Knowledge of an apparently trivial detail quite often makes it possible to see into the depth of things." –Dietrich Bonhoeffer

(Thank you to Terry Kenny for sharing the above quotation.) 

Mom likes to fold. She focuses on the task with intense concentration, lining up the edges of a piece of paper or napkin, and folding it over and over into a neat, precise pattern. At 91 years old – after a long life of raising kids, running a household, caring for her dad and mine – the hard work is finished. But the innate need to stay active endures.

Day 5

Facing the Exit

Day 4

I spend a lot of time with my Mom at her assisted living home in Carlsbad, CA. She and the 2 dozen or so other residents there all suffer from some form of dementia. Where there is no memory, there is only the present moment. Every day is a new day, and every stranger is a new friend. 

"Gone With the Wind"

Day 3

Generations

Day 2

Mom's hands

Day One

Today is Day One of 100 Days in Photography. (Thanks for the encouragement, Billie!) I'm not certain where this will lead, but I'm taking the first step in the journey. For starters, here is something (and someone) very familiar to me:

Mom's afternoon nap