Yesterday afternoon, Kate took a nap and slept almost two hours. I think she was catching up for lost sleep over the past few days. She was definitely wide awake when she got up. We decided to go to Panera. In the car she said something about being very independent. We didn’t get very far before she recanted and said, “Well, you do drive me places, and shop for groceries, and take me out to eat, and take me to far away places.” When she finished her list, she said, “And, I don’t even know your name.” I told her. Then she said, “I knew that. It just wouldn’t come to me.” I said, “That happens sometimes.” I was interested that this occurred without her showing any signs of concern, anxiety, or fear.
When we got out of the car, she asked, “Did you know my mother?” I told her I did. Then she said, “What is her name?” I told her her, and she said, “You got it.” Once inside, I opened my iPad to write another post about a conversation we had had at lunch. Before I wrote anything, she asked me how many children her father’s parents had. When I told her, she wanted to know who they were. I went down the list of the 8 children who had lived. The first died in infancy. She began to reflect on all her aunts and uncles. That began a conversation (with her doing most of the talking) that continued for almost fifty minutes. It was interesting because she really couldn’t remember any specific facts, but she could remember qualities about them, at least how she remembered them. My only part in the conversation was answering her questions and agreeing with her memories.
In the course of our conversation she periodically said, “That goes in the book.” This is a photo book that she started to work on 5-7 years ago. For a couple of years, she edited photos on her computer, but she never got around to assembling them into a book. About three years ago, she stopped using the computer. She never said, but I think it just got too difficult for her. Her intention to create the book never ceased and continues to this day.
This time she talked more earnestly about the book. She noted that she had said she was going to write the book before. Then she said, “This time I’m going to do it.” She paused a moment and added, “And you’re going to help me do it.” I know it will never happen, but I believe it is good for her to have something for which she can aspire.
We finished the day with an evening of jazz at Casa Bella. It was an especially good evening. The vocalist is a member of our church, and we saw several other church members there. Kate didn’t participate much in the conversation at our table, but she enjoyed the music.
