I came home yesterday from work and Mom came out to the kitchen to greet me. I said, “Mom, you have on my sweat pants!” We each have a pair of soft, comfy pea green sweats. Hers are a size 14 and mine are a few sizes bigger! She says, “I thought I had lost a lot of weight!” Then she pulls up her shirt to show me she had them pinned to her bra to keep them up! We had a good laugh!

My Dad has a caregiver come twice a week to assist him with his bath. I mentioned to him yesterday that he should get her something for Christmas. He told me to pick her up one of those things that you “rub and it grows”. After a few questions I discovered he meant a Chia Pet.

My 84-year-old mother frequently thinks of me as her three-year-old toddler. I was reminded not long ago that my 47-year-old face isn’t quite what she remembers. I was kneeling next to her bed. “Frances, my little pumpkin-chan,” she began, then stopped and looked at me in horror. “WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?”