Autumn Leaves

The name of the nursing home where my mother resides is "Autumn Leaves."  Autumn leaves are colorful for a short time but then they turn brown and fall to the ground because Autumn leaves are near the end of their short lives.  Autumn leaves bring beauty into our world bringing a glorious end to summer and a loud start to winter.  When Autumn leaves winter sets in.  You can not leave Autumn Leaves, if you are a resident there, without permission.  Those that would do so must wear a bracelet that sounds an alarm whenever they get too close to leaving Autumn Leaves.  My mother can not remember many things.  She remembers well my running away from home at the age of 6 and her going to the end of the block to bring me back home.  She does not remember cutting at least 2 and probably 3 bracelets off of her arm.  Her calendar has X's, placed by her, on the days that have gone by and she has X-ed off through the 12th of January.  To her 12 days have gone by this year and not 6.  She confesses that she does not know most of the people in the pictures on her wall.  She knows her children of course and daughters-in-law but the grandchildren and great-grandchildren she knows but a few. 

Mother with her sons and daughters-in-law

Janie and I met with the nursing home department heads today to discuss the problem of mother not wearing the bracelet.  That meeting went well but when we met with mother afterward that did not go so well.  I left it up to Janie to reason with mother and though Janie was sweet and kind as she presented the problem to mother and much more diplomatic than I would have been she still got mad and upset.  She let the nurse put the bracelet back on but under protest.  When the nurse left mother refused to talk to us anymore.  She sat on her bed, knitting and crying, refusing to even look at us.  We left her to sulk.  I hope tomorrow when I go by she will be feeling better about all of this.  When we got back to the cottage I went out and with an ax chopped down several small Sweet gum trees.  It felt good.
Tomorrow Janie will spend time with her mother and I will do some work on the Song of Songs and then go over to see my mother. God bless you.