Summer Time

When I was working, summer time was always special. In the early years when I didn't get paid in the summer it was a special time know as the starving time. Money had to be saved LOL all winter and then stretched over the summer. I ate so many hot dogs it was pathetic. Cereal, hotdogs, bread and cheese was the shopping list. I prepared for the upcoming school year in the cool of the night and enjoyed hot days with my son. We did everything together. I so enjoyed that special time before he got too old to hang out with mom.

Now I am retired and the check comes every month but summer is still special. the grandchildren are off school and the little guy still wants to hang out with MomMom. We do everything together. The young lady will still spend time with us. The 13 year old has become too grown for MomMom. That is ok. He is becoming independent and is a wonderful young man.

I hope I live long enough to have special summer time with great grand children. They make life new again.

The Kids are on Vacation

Nothing is more fun then spending time with the grandchildren. They are on vacation this week so they are keeping me busy and away from the computer which is probably not a bad thing. S. is 13 and had a sleep over and helped me clean and carry all the things I have been wanting to throw away or store. He is a big help. K., a girl, is ten and loves to go to the book store. It is such a joy to have another reader in my life. Little A. is four and is so precious. He loves to snuggle still and is a little ball of love. J. is my oldest grandchild. He is 20. He suffers from PDD and autism.
He lives in a supervised independent living facility. He goes to school and does volunteer work in the community. He is spending some time with me while on vacation. He is doing very well and actually has converstions of substance as long as we are in the car driving around. The motion of the car seems to loosen his tongue. I am putting some miles on this week. He is good company and if anything too agreeable. I will ask him if he likes something and he always says yes even thought I know he won't eat it. He breaks my heart. He should be grown and truely independent but requires more supervision that his younger siblings. He is the one I worry about. What will become of him as he leaves the years where treatment is readily available. Adults with disablilities have a hard road ahead. He is 200 pounds and is no longer tiny and cute. When he has temper tantrums there is no controling him. Years ago his mother wouldn't let my son or I have custody of him. We saw him now and then. I wish I had been able to raise him because now at his age and size, I don't think I could take care of him on a full time basis. They do a good job where he lives and it is probably the best place for him. I just wish I could have done more for him in the past and pray for his future.
http://www.med.yale.edu/chldstdy/autism/pddnos.html

The Way Out

Tonight I stood in the church kitchen helping to prepare dinner for hungry people. One of the volunteers was missing. She had called the day before to tell me she had been diagnosed with IDC. That is breast cancer. The cook looked at me and said, "I would rather have that than Alzheimer's disease. If you have cancer you either respond to treatment or you die. That has to be better than losing your mind to Alzheimer's disease and being a burden."

The thought of Alzheimer's or early onset dementia just scares me to death. I have seen what a toll the disease takes on both the patient and the families. However, I know a woman who was diagnosed but is now on a drug therapy that has brought her back from the edge.

I need to learn more about how to prevent these things and stay in the pool.

Alzheimer's Association

www.alz.org Everything you need to know about Alzheimer's and dementia.

Generations

I find that staying active is having a beneficial effect. I feel better. I move better. I am enjoying the companionship of interesting and compassionate people in the pool. My class I attend has participants for the age of 54 to 90. I am amazed at see how active some of the people are well into their 80's and even 90. They have survived cancer, knee and hip replacements, back surgeries, and the ups and downs of life. They have a very positive attitude. Staying active helps the mind and the body. They are an amazing and inspiring group.

As we water-walk in the deep end of the pool, I look to the shallow end and see the other end of the spectrum. The swim babies and toddlers classes are taking place. Now we have from six months to 90 together enjoying the water. I look at the perfect skin and exuberance of the little ones and I think about how quickly we pass through the stages of life. Seeing the future meeting the past in the pool gives me joy.

There may be more wrinkles and scars in the deep end but there is a joy and delight similar to the little ones. When you reach a certain age you begin to appreciate each day and every joy it brings. There is smiling, conversation and laughter in the deep while in the shallow end squeals of delight ring out. The very young and the older swimmers both seem to appreciate the day equally as well.

A New Begining

I have recently retired after teaching in the inner city for 36 years. I faced retirement with a good deal of fear. What would I do? Would I be bored? Will I still have friends? After being part of a school based community for so many years my future was not to be dictated by the ringing of bells or the school year calender. Freedom can be intimidating.

I have found a new pool of friends. We are all in the pool together, aging, living, talking, and sharing rich life experiences. Their stories of keeping their heads above water while swimming through the last stages of life is what this blog is all about.