[click image]I wonder if anyone knows how hard my Poppa worked to give me a good life, to get me everything I needed, everything he could get for me, for Mom, for my bratty little sister.... How many people know about a brilliant man who had to quit school to support his mother and brother and sister... and then to marry and raise his own family. He worked SEVEN days a week. Twelve-hour shifts on workdays because the overtime was at time and a half. Ten-hour shifts on Saturdays because it was double time for eight and double time and a half for the other two. Eight hours on Sundays because it was triple time for all eight. He worked himself stupid. He went to night school to ace trigonometry so he could become a tool and die maker. He made parts of the Friendship Seven. He was a star.
And right now he's alone in a little room of the "Memory Unit" of a strange establishment, scared.
He thought Mom was moving with him.
They've been married for SIXTY years.
All I want is to jump in Goldie and go back there and hug him... just never stop hugging him.
Such a difficult time for you, you are needing hugs too! Take care...
ReplyDeleteThanks, marja-leena. It's even worse today. Our fear and stress has let up some and so the crying is more. His dog, who had taken to being his little nurse, is a very unhappy camper too. It just seems so darn unfair.
ReplyDeleteSad for you...
ReplyDeleteThats heartbreaking.
ReplyDeleteBe good to yourself.
99, this is such a difficult time for you. We should all be able to "keep" parents and take care of them. Something's wrong with "modern life styles".
ReplyDeleteI am so sad for you ... hope you'll hug your dad soon.
I guess we have to wait till Sunday.
ReplyDelete:'(
I'm really, really unhappy about this.
I know he's still in there and my mother doesn't. No reasoning with her. She can't handle it and won't let me help... and I fucking don't have the wherewithal to be the kind of help I want to be, not even the wherewithal to make the twelve-hour round trip to visit him very often in my dying car.
This sucks much worse than I'm whining about here.
Sorry. :'(
You need to be there for both. No matter how hard it is for you. They were there for you. My case isn't this yet but I don't care what it will take to see Mom live out her life as easy as possible. Dad past a way year a few years ago not easy for Mom after 50 plus years.
ReplyDeletejo6pac
Right. I am. I want to be.
ReplyDeleteMy computer is bunched up with Mom's on her desk right now. We're getting through it together. I'm not leaving her with no help... that's my SISTER'S job....
Feel for you 99. That's a moving appreciation of your Dad, too. It reminds me of exactly of mine. Lots of love to you and to both your parents.
ReplyDeleteOh, 99! My heart aches for you, and, even worse, your mom. What miserable choices we are so often forced to make. And for your dad, and his dog, I do wish such facilities accomodated pets - makes sense to me. But 99, sweetheart, I know it feels like nothing could make this situation any better, and maybe so, but try thinking of all the nice people out here who love and support you the best they can. And do get over to hug your dad as often as you can. In fact, liberal hugs all around are the answer - you can bet your Bippy!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Bippy. We're going to see him today. They wanted us to stay away a few days so he could get accustomed to it a little. We're bringing the dog. She's completely baffled and sad without him to look after, and she'll probably bring the place down with excitement.
ReplyDeleteIt's Labor Day Weekend and everyone is here to boat and waterski and go to the fair. It's kind of a zoo out there, and we're going to my aunt and uncle's for dinner later. So. Everyone will be hashing this out all evening, too, I'm sure.
I feel better thinking that if this place is too awful for him, we can find him a better scene. It's a really nice place, but the "Memory Unit" is all locked down, away from the rest of the population and it's pretty depressing, no matter how cheery they try to keep it. So there might be a homier kind of place we can find that would be a little more comfortable.
Or. Heck. Maybe he'll like it fine. I went out yesterday and bought him a mountain of his favorite kinds of candies... black licorice that's not too sweet and bittersweet chocolate. I know that no matter how disoriented he'd ever get, he won't stop liking those.
It's looking as though our engagement is going to have to be one of the longest in modern history..... xoxoxox
They say good things are well worth waiting for ;-). Treat yourself as well as you can under the circumstances. I understand that Ronnie Reagan has been elected preznit of heaven, so everything's gonna turn out just fine. I just arranged a Russian lessons for English lessons swap, so in no time at all my Russian should be good enough for me to be able to accompany you to our new home in style. Abundant liberal hugs!!!
ReplyDeletexoxoxoxoxox
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