I have mentioned how often I’m asked about my Mom and I never seem to have a positive answer. I try to remind myself just to thank the person for asking instead of sharing any one of the negative thoughts clouding my mind.

I knew my Mom was going to decline, but as we were on the brink of moving her into a memory care community, her sudden change has thwarted the one positive thing my siblings and I were working toward. She is now unable to move on her own and is mostly bedridden. That is a stark contrast to the woman who was walking the halls just two weeks ago.

Thank you for the kind notes from my fellow bloggers: Mrs. Hsg with Before I forget who has been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s; Joy Johnson with The Memories Project who started her blog as a tribute to her father who suffered from dementia and then needed to care for her mom who was battling cancer; Hallie Swift with A Swift Current who artfully shares her tales of caregiving and loss;  Mariarose of With and Without Her who recently lost her mom to dementia; Sandra Ross with Going Gentle Into That Good Night who shares her knowledge and experience generously; and the many others who aren’t bloggers but reached out. THANK YOU. This journey is tough and hearing from those of you who have gone through it, know it’s coming, or shared encouragement reminds me how much I benefit from this blog emotionally.

We know they are declining, but you never expect the sudden drops that unfortunately, are all too frequent. We also have seen some moments of clarity over the last few days, but know that the inability to manage for herself is gnawing away at my Mom’s will to continue. Shocked.