Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Auld Lang Syne is one of the songs I sing to Jack at night to help him sleep. Such a beautiful tune.
Auld Lang Syne
by Jennifer L. Knox
Dad
couldn't stop crying after Kathy moved him into the facility. When she
came to visit, he'd cry and say he wanted to die. He said the same thing
to the nurses. This went on for about a month until the doctor put him
on an antidepressant especially for Parkinson's patients. The next time
Kathy came to visit, she found him in the cafeteria, talking to some of
the other residents and not crying at all--just enjoying his lunch. When
it was time for her to go, he didn't cry, but rather calmly escorted
her to the car. "Do you like this car? My wife and I were thinking about
getting one," he told her. "That's very interesting," Kathy smiled,
"because I am your wife." Dad chuckled, "Is that right?" He squinted
over the palm trees towards the freeway. So many cars. Busy busy busy.
"Well, we'll see you later, then," he said, and shook her hand firmly,
the way he'd learned to do at Rotary. What funny new friends he was
making.
Copyright © 2014 by Jennifer L. Knox. Used with permission of the author.
"Near
the end of his life, my father proved to be, at his core, a very
polite, chivalrous man. He walked the halls of the facility where he
lived, introducing himself and shaking people's hands as he had done at
Rotary meetings. He complimented the nurses, 'You have a lovely figure.'
He could also eat an entire two-pound box of See's Candies in an
afternoon, which requires considerable effort with stage five
Parkinson's disease."
--Jennifer L. Knox
--Jennifer L. Knox
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