Aging

An ode to my mother-in-law...
89 is an awe-inspiring accomplishment. Walking 30 minutes at a brisk, 89 year old pace. Each step bringing a minute of sunshine to erode the sense of doom she feels at the state of the world.
Two months ago her doctor stole her independence by reporting her to the provincial licensing company as having growing cognative impairment. One wonders why the doctor lacked the respect to share his findings with her and one day she recieved a letter from the government telling her that she could no longer drive.
So now she walks.
To Dairy Queen.
To Copper Kettle.
To her favourite shops.
Our society struggles to care for our mothers and grandmothers, fathers and grandfathers.
Their minds work overtime to understand the changes in, what Tevia called "tradition."  Access to hours of news and real time information, the world is a frightening place, discounting their values and replacing them with selfish convenience. Fast pace technology has changed the face of the world. Children and grandchildren with their attention focused on smart phones and tablets, relationships built on sound waves. The cloud makes no sense to them, wven when we tell them they can change the font with the touch of their fingertips, making reading a breeze. Touch screens and intuitive interfaces are foreign languages. Why can't we just answer our phones?
The eldest son wants her to move to a senior's complex where her meals will be supplied. Grandma likes Copper Kettle and Dairy Queen. The youngest son created a nutrition savvy menue. She likes hamburgers and cheese infused Alfredo. The doctor tells her that her aches and pains are normal -- after all, she's old. She remembers the days where she could prune the apple trees, paint the garage floor and wash out every kitchen cupboard on a fall Saturday.
She looks at the 900 square foot apartment and wonders where her daughters will stay when they come to visit. And how she can fit her piano in such a small place -- she hasn't played the piano in several decades, but it was a significant purchase and it's a lovely place to display family photos. She looks at the cost and wonders how they can rationalize $1500 for food for an under 5 foot grandmother.
I watch as her world shrinks from a 5 bed room farmhouse to one bed and one chair, a bar fridge and lunch with the other residents in the main dining room. I know that she struggles to understand the changes that have been made all around her.
I beat her at Scrabble -- barely -- and I wish that I could play with her more often. 

Spiderman and Fiddler on the Roof

This week was a fast paced adventure from a family wedding in Wnnipeg to vacation in New York City to a weekend at home with my sister. In that time we saw Spirderman on Broadway and Fiddler on the Roof in Stratford.
Theatre is a spectacular moment where we have no clients, no staff issues, no housework, no dinner to make.
Spiderman focused on unbelivable gymnastics, trapeeze artists and staging. A little lean on the script -- but an innovative merging of the comic book and the stage. And why would I expect a stunning script from an ode to Marvel?
Fiddler on the Roof was a delightful immersion into the simple life of a family living in the wrong moment of history. Suffering from intense cultural stigma, the family and their neigbours paid the price of ignorance, their home swept from them. The gentle humour, poignant love and struggle to change was a lovely reminder of our past... and our future.

Mothers and daughters...

Mother wt to wedding in Winnipeg. Like awise oman she hung a few clothes in te closet. unfortunaytely, upon leaving, she neglected to put them her uit. bt s hs a smart phone... so  shirt will be t ofice tomorrow.

Today, the daughter left her purse at  pplebees amuch oe eious ent, ouse shundreds of times mre valuable than the $40 shirt.

Again... we have  smart phone. 

The use will bat the hotel tmorrow b0

Yikrs

The gas pump ate my card.
Late, I broke down to stop for gas.... and I stuck my card in upside down! And it stuck. I tried. the lovely elderly gentleman tried... the atendent thought was a wacky old lady (after all, did put the card in upside down).
We asked several people if they had a pliers... finally one did.
We rescued the card with a never used, rusty pliers and filled the tank.
I was 3+ minutes late.
The meeting was 60 minutes late.

Spring

I am alone with the robin. she is shouting at me, warning me to stay away from her children. the grass, overfed from endless days of rain and surprising bursts of snow is deep emerald, sof  and thick.
The curly willow has released its leafs and I can see a hint of summer. the Maple is just sending out the keys. the birch stubbornly refuses to release its leafs, and stands on guard for one last frost.
The apple tree is quivering in anticipation and blossoms are almost ready to open.
I am on the deck. the brilliant sun gently toasting my body. it's quiet, as the children in the neighbourhood are still attached to TV's, tablets and play stations while their parents drink coffee.

WOW

Hot flashes. Lapses in memory. Exhaustion. It's coming to an end.... I recognize that I am playing with the mix of my back ground as a Mennonite and as a woman walking through menopause. This is a moment for me to think and to play.... to indulge myself in the pure delight of the written word.