She's one strong cookie

Mom continues to weeble but she's not falling down! In fact, she gave us quite a gift last night when she awoke from a very long nap totally lucid. She knew all of us in the room and even looked at brother Mike and said "Hi, Sweetheart." How very nice. Truly a gift I will always remember. She ate a few cheerios, had a sip of brandy which was shared by all around the bed and then went back into the twilight.

Friends Robin, Bill and Jeff spent yesterday afternoon with us so that was a nice diversion. Linda brought dinner again which was, as always, welcomed and very very tasty. John and I have mostly rebounded from the flu.

Thankfully, Mom has absolutely no pain and what a blessing that is. She continues to weaken but that's ok - as she put it when Dad died: These things happen. She's surrounded by love, some laughter, and a bunch of dogs who periodically sit on her lap.

I've had caregivers at night which is another huge blessing. I did this so long on my own that I really didn't realize the level of exhaustion until it's no longer there. I'm feeling peppier, although I got up at 3:30 this morning to check her and have been up since writing. Just got the urge. Here's the article I wrote:

Preparing for the death of a loved one