A new life begins, an old life ebbs

Yesterday, I got to meet my newest granddaughter, Phoebe Joanne Lapko. She is a sweet little girl with dark blue eyes and dark hair. Dark hair is unusual in our family tree, especially for little ones. She is one month old and mostly eats and sleeps, as is typical. I enjoyed holding her, although she is a squirmy little thing!

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Today was a journey to visit my mother who is in a nursing home in Schaumberg, IL. I attended the quarterly meeting on her progress. Her hearing aide has been, finally, replaced and we received a report on her surgery for some facial cancer. All seems to be going well on those fronts. I asked about her long term prognosis, and was told that she has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. This was news to both my brothers and to me. It does, however, explain the deterioration that we have noticed in her cognitive abilities. I had thought they were due to recurring urinary tract infections. I guess that was wishful thinking.

We were able to get a family picture while we were there. From the left, is my younger brother, Kurt, myself, my older brother, Carl, my daughter, Robyn, my granddaughter, Phoebe, and my mother.

We also got another nice shot of our four generations of women.

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When I returned to the Indiana Sand Dunes State Park, Emma and I went on a long walk. I must admit that tears were streaming down my face for most of the walk as I remembered the vibrant woman my mother had been, and is now lost to me forever. It has been such a hard and sad day for me. Tonight I honor her and miss her so........

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Thanks for stopping by....talk to you later, Judy