Monday, March 23, 2020

Dear Mom

On March 11th my mother's retirement community instituted a no visitors policy. Since I am now unable to visit my mother, I've started writing her little note cards every few days. The nurses have to read them aloud to her because she is no longer reading on her own, but the mail brightens her day and provides momentary topics of conversation.

Grammie Moyer's weekly letters to Mom were legendary: routinized rundowns of her week's goings-on, often with excruciating (for a grandkid) detail, and almost always back and front of one unlined sheet from a 9 x 6 inch writing pad. Mom sent the same weekly tag-ups to her mother as well. Phone calls were rare in those days because of the expense.

While away at college and beyond, I would receive regular, though not weekly, letters from my own mother. I'm pretty sure I hardly ever wrote back. I was more inclined to call in response, and the calls were always appreciated. But now that dementia has progressed, verbal communication is more difficult and often nonsensical. Thankfully, the thrill of receiving mail endures!

5 comments:

  1. Yet another way that writing can help us through challenging times!

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  2. Hi,
    I love this post. I think, in our modern world, some of the beautiful pleasures...such as the joy of getting a letter in the mail. Also, I think that when we write notes, it captures our lives in a way that email and phone calls do not. I, too, remember that long distance calls were rare and short! Thank you for sharing this beautiful slice of loving your mother. When I'm done here, I am going to write my mom a note. She's not in a nursing home, but far away in Ohio, and I know she'll love a real letter.
    Thanks for sharing!
    Barbara

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  3. Whoops...please add, "...are being lost" to the phrase "beautiful pleasures." I should have proofread it before I hit publish.

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  4. I fear a similar future may be ahead for me and my grandma. Love how you wrote this. Hope springs from posts like this for me. Thank you for sharing.

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  5. When I was at college, I loved gettin handwritten notes from family members and friends! I am sure these are a bright spot in your mother's day. Hopefully this will all be over soon and you will get to be with again.

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