“It’s a day to celebrate although I don’t know what lies ahead.” That’s a quote from my previous post in which I talked about our 58th anniversary and that Kate had given me the perfect gift the day before. As it turned out, the actual anniversary wasn’t exactly the way I would have liked although it ended well.
Unlike the day before, she slept late and wasn’t in a particularly good mood when she awoke. I decided not to wait until later to give her the anniversary card and photo book I had prepared. She is almost always more cheerful in the afternoon.
In my eagerness, I didn’t wait long enough. When I told her it was our anniversary and read her card, she didn’t show any emotion at all. It seemed like she knew I wanted her to be excited, and she was going to show me I couldn’t do it. I gave her the photo book with 95 pages of pictures of people and places that had been special to us the past 58 years. It was clear after showing her the cover and first couple of photos that I was facing a losing battle. I made a wise decision to try again later.
The opportunity came as we ate dinner. She enjoyed her food, and she became more cheerful. When she finished her ice cream, the caregiver went to the bedroom to get things ready for the night. I picked up the photo book and showed it to her. She took to it right away. It was too much to go through all of it, but she liked what she saw. She was cheerful and loving for the rest of the night.
Yesterday was a very good day. For the third time since we moved six weeks ago, the caregiver and I took her out of the apartment. For the second time, we walked through the park across from our building. We followed that by relaxing on our balcony until time for dinner. She enjoyed the day.
Of course, I would have liked the day of our anniversary to have been like the day before and the day after, but I had little or no control over that. By this time, however, I’ve learned the value of accepting each day as it comes. That doesn’t mean I simply give up and let it go. I always try to make things better. Sometimes I succeed; sometimes I don’t. I try not to push her. That only makes things worse. If I just back away for a little while, she often comes around naturally. One thing is sure. I know that the bumps in the road are going to occur, and I am encouraged with the knowledge that we’re also going to have more “Happy Moments.” I wonder what’s in store for today.
