A Mother’s Lessons Lead to Her Final Gift

“I want to die.” It was hard to hear when my mother first said the words to me over the phone, but I understood why she felt that way. Besides robbing her of memory, that thief dementia had stolen my mom’s independence, dignity and ability to have an adult conversation. Read more

I Love You Daddy

“He has about six quality months left.” “And then?” “Hmm . . . would you like a glass of water?” “No. What then?” “He will lose his speech and, eventually, he will be paralyzed. Would you like a tissue?” Aby blinked very fast. “Are you saying he will,” she swallowed Read more

French Faux-pas: Valentine’s Day, Crockery, Louboutin, and a Priceless Smile

I once made the faux-pas to surprise my lovely wife with a state-of-the-art crockpot for Valentine’s Day. (That was last week.) I don’t anticipate it will be forgotten unless I make amends and it appears that even the shiny red bounty she found under the Festivus pole a few weeks Read more

My Non-Television Mother and Me

Part 1 My mother is not a mother to me like a television mother. She’s more like a friend, a friend of a friend even. She’s the friend whose phone number you always lose on “accident.” When I was young, I used to idolize the kids on TV, especially the Read more