Fog and Alzheimer's Disease

Fog

The fog comes
on little cat feet.
It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.

Carl Sandburg


It is rainy, humid and dark again today. Looks like that's the color of the weekend too. Sent my mom a big envelope with a notecard and a stack of pictures from my nephew's graduation party. I wrote the names of all the people in the photos on the back. Alzheimer's is a cruel disease, not just for the person who is ill with it, but also for the family members who feel the creeping loss of the person they love. For the past few months, I have been on a note writing campaign, sending Mom a little notecard a couple of times a week. I have enlisted my children to do the same. Mom's husband tells us she is entertained over and over by the cards and this activity helps to keep her calm. I don't always write much, but I tell her I love her and think of her everyday at the end of every card. I have a kit I made which includes a variety of notecards, stickers, address labels and some very cool postage stamps. Lots of color! I can take this kit with me wherever I go, and when I have a spare moment or two, I can write a little note, stamp it and send it on its merry way. I think this is as much for me as it is for her. Otherwise, I feel pretty damned helpless. At least this gives me something to do. She is far away geographically, so it's not easy to visit her. She is in Texas. My sisters and I are all in New York.
Knitting is great! It's also my solace for loss.