My Marathon

In 2011, my mom "L" was still working in the cafeteria of a local college. She loved her job and the students adored her. Our big concern was that our dad was left home alone. And at that time, he was still driving. I have been sorting through lots of papers today and came across some notebooks that I had forgotten about. When Mom would leave for work in the morning, she'd write a note to my dad telling him what day it was, sometimes where she was, and often including a small list of things to do. Sometimes he'd write her little notes back, as you can see here. As I continued through these books, into 2012 and 2013, the notes became less frequent. The writing was less legible. The spelling was incorrect. And sometimes, she would cross out the day a couple times before she would get it right. I believe she kept these notebooks tucked away when family was there. I also believe this marked the very beginning of her decline into a state of dementia. She was able to hide it very well for quite some time. Personally, I love that she reminded Dad to call me on my birthday. I remember the phone call, and how shocked I was that he recalled my birthday. Now I know why.