Darlene Foster's Blog

Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do… but how much love we put in that action.
Mother Teresa

I just returned from a week in Medicine Hat, Alberta visiting family and cleaning out Mom’s apartment as she embarks on another phase of her life in a retirement centre.  It was emotional, stressful and a lot of hard work but there were some highlights as well.

I visited my ten year old grandson’s school and read from my books.  Jesse got to introduce me to the class and held the Ali Baba puppet while I read.  It was a lot of fun; the kids were very attentive and asked great questions.  They even gave me ideas for future books.

I spent a lot of time with Mom which was great.  We went through her clothes, shoes and jewellery together, deciding what to keep and what to give to charity.  We both like nice clothes and accessories and we both hate to get rid of them.  So it was a good thing to do together.  I hung familiar pictures in her new place to make it feel more like home.  It is a very nice place and I am sure she will be comfortable there and well taken care of.

Spending valuable time with all my grandchildren, and my son and his wife as they helped with packing things up and making deliveries was a treat.  Aunts and Uncles dropped in to see Mom, so I had an opportunity to see them as well.  It made me realize once again how lucky I am to belong to such a large, caring family.

Reading from the Owl book Grandma brought with her from BC.  They sure love books.

Then there was a chance to reconnect with old friends.  One made me dinner, another invited me to her new art gallery/restaurant, Inspire,  and two took me out for a much needed drink my last night.  I chatted on the phone with another dear friend who is also dealing with an aging mother.

I was happy to be home after eight days away and hubby and cats were eager to see me, but I am glad I took the time to go back home.

Have you had a chance to go back home recently and how was the experience?