Good Day
Faye had a good day the other day. Trudy said it was clear from her eyes that something had changed for the better. She was looking around. Her eyes sparkled and made contact. She answered questions, yes/no shaking her head up and down or side-to-side.
And she spoke for the first time in months. She knew she is in Austin. She knew that she had been married to Bert Schroeder. And she knew Trudy was her daughter, even if the did get her name wrong.
Trudy has been agonizing about her mom, wondering what she should be doing for her. Wondering what was going on in Faye’s head. Wondering if her mom was angry, or unhappy.
And so, it was an immense load off her shoulders when Trudy was able to tell me, “I’ve got some really good news about mom.”
It hadn’t been just a “good” visit. It had been a wonderful visit, a wonderful day.
Not As Good Day
When we got there this afternoon, Faye was in the living room. She was watching television from the spot on the sofa where they usually prop her up. And she turned her head in our direction as we walked in.
Her eyes were still sparkling, but there was no other reaction to our presence. The words from the last few days were gone. No yes/no answers. No nodding/shaking of her head.
We had hoped that she might recognize her son-in-law this time. Recognize her daughter’s husband. But she didn’t.
“Hi Faye,” I said, kneeling down so that I was looking into her eyes. I patted her knee and smiled.
She looked at me but didn’t react. And then she looked at my hand on her knee and turned away.
But later, she ate like a horse. Which is something.