RUTHIE THE BUDHA

RUTHIE THE BUDHA

As I look over my personal journal of some things my mom has said, I find some of them so uplifting and truly amazing.  This is from a lady who has no memory left of her past. Here are some things that I would like to share with you.

One day while I was speaking to my mom she kept opening and closing her front door, almost like an obsession. ”Mom why are you opening and closing your door?” Ruthie replies,” to see how hot it is outside.”  Now my mom lives in Florida and it’s the summer so we can imagine how hot it is.  In a kidding around way I tell her that her palm trees grow coconuts, and that there are pineapple bushes on her patio.  I then ask her which she likes better.  She laughs and answers” I think I like pineapples better.”  So I say mom “please close your door and then lock it so no one can kidnap you.”  We both laugh and my mom says” don’t worry if they kidnap me, and after they see what they got, the kidnappers will change their minds and bring me right back.”  Once again we both laugh and I smile at her wit and her sense of humor.  With everything that is happening to her she still seems to amaze me.

I remember my mom once rushing Elaine her caregiver to the telephone when I called.  I had asked my mom if I could speak to Elaine and my mom was concerned that I was calling long distance.  Ruthie wanted Elaine to hurry so it would not cost me too much money.  I thought my mom’s concern was cute and I reassured her that all my telephone calls were free.  She then said to Elaine that she didn’t have to rush to the phone and told me that she felt better. Mom added in that she does not pay for anything either. You see my brother now takes care of paying my mom’s bill because she is not capable of doing that any longer.  Yet if you ask mom she insist that she has no bills to pay.  Lucky, lucky mom!

 Elaine tells me that my mom has a new habit which is that she takes her small coffee yogurt cups that she eats most days and throws them over her front gate after she eats them.  I know that I cannot speak to her about this because she would never remember doing it and would absolutely deny it.  When Elaine has asked her about it she tells her that her neighbor upstairs must be throwing them over the balcony.  My mom use to walk back and forth to the garbage room.  It was her daily exercise and a way for her to get some fresh air.  She probably now walks out her front door and has no memory of where the garbage room is.  She has a yogurt cup in her hand, which she does not know what to do with, so she throws it into her bushes over her gate.  Her garbage room is located next to her mailroom which I know she has no idea any more where that is located.  When I heard about this it made me laugh, it is just so innocent, like a small child.

 I know that sometimes when I am on the phone with her she’ll ask me if she should go look for something and I say okay, then she says I’m just putting the telephone down on the table ,and I’ll be right back.  Then she comes back immediately and says “I forgot what was I suppose to be looking for”. I'm lucky that she remembers that I'm on the telephone.

I am so grateful that my mom still has her sense of humor and wit. I love her childlike ways. I hold so near to my heart  and cherish all that my mom still is. I do not know how long anything will last, as my mom  keeps slipping away.