Visitors

This entry was started back in August 2011. I saved it to draft and forgot about it. So I finished it today and posted.



It is so nice to write a few happy thoughts for a change.

 My mother has an old DeRidder friend that she has kept up with for the many years she has been gone from DeRidder. Bridgit Gates and mom were always seen together running around town, having coffee together, doing after school stuff with their kids.  Bridgit's children and mom's younger children were friends in school and at church, so the two moms came together also. Their friendship has survived for many years.

Yesterday, I was reading my email early in the morning and there was one from Bridgit. She said that she had an opportunity to come to Baton Rouge with her daughter and she wanted to try to get to see mom while she was here. They had obligations but wanted to make time for a quick visit. As it turned out, she was able to visit with mom for over an hour.

I arrived at the Care Center and found mom sleeping, so I got her up, brushed her hair, straightened her dress and told her she was going to have a surprise visitor. When Bridgit arrived, mom was so happy to see her dear old friend. She kept saying "I never thought I would ever see you again in this lifetime." Of course her surprise led to tears of joy (I hope) and then she settled down for a sweet visit.

Hearing and the understanding of what she hears is always a problem, but she was able to follow along fairly well, and Bridgit was very careful with her responses to mom. All in all, the two friends enjoyed seeing each other. Mom has several memories she has shared with me over the years, and Bridgit kept saying " I don't remember that!"

Thank you Bridgit for taking the time to visit Mom. Her memory of that visit is strong. She spoke of it for several days after the fact. I can imagine your trip home - thinking about how mom looks and how her conversation skills have deteriorated. The past few years have really played havoc with her physical being as well as her mental well being. It's really a shock to see for the first time.

Please come back for another visit when you can. Mom enjoys the cards you send her. Keeps her attached to her friend.