A Celtic Blessing

May the road rise to meet you,
may the wind be always at your back,
may the sun shine warm upon your face,
may the rains fall soft upon your fields.
Until we meet again,
may God hold you in the hollow of his hand.

Wednesday 26 December 2007

That little stretch of water

Nollick ghennal to you all!

Well the festive season has come and gone and things are getting back to normal. If anyone wants to be put off the modern Christmas, I can think of no more off-putting method that working in retail. We didn't quite have any fights, but I think it was a close run thing.

Anyway, back to the stretch of water. I live closer to my parents than my sister does. However, when she wants to see them, she gets in the car and is there in a couple of hours. For me, it is a flight or a ferry (and the later you book it, the more expensive it is), and then getting to their house from where I land. And I need to be there more and more. Dad is going downhill faster and faster - his Alzheimer's seems to be like a runaway train, gathering pace as it goes. Now he forgets where he lives in the 20 minutes it takes to go and buy the morning paper. he is on Promazine twice a day, and we all fear that one day it will not be enough, and his threats of violence will boil over into more than threats.

One day, Mum will not be able to cope. And if he is in 24-hour nursing care, what becomes of Mum? For nearly 50 years, she has kept the home and looked after the family, so that he can work. With no-one to support and care for, what will become of her? In my darkest moments, I see Mum going downhill because she has nothing and no-one left to support.

What can I do?

1 comment:

jAMiE said...

She has all of you...don't discount what that means to her. Just keep on being there for her and listen when she needs to talk...i think that helps.