Usually I blog about the activities of our family. The kids are always doing some creative thing that they want to share. They have informed me that they have a bunch of video that they want to put on the blog. Maybe I will get on that soon.
But today my thoughts are on the reality of my life. My mother is growing older and her Alzheimers is taking its toll. The most obvious symptom is her voice. She no longer sounds like herself. Her voice is weaker and higher than normal. The best description of it is the voice you might here from a resident when you are visiting a nursing home. That is fine for these residents, but this is my mother. I want her to sound like herself.
I miss my mother's voice.
We had been singing on the phone together. We would sing our favorite scipture songs and of course, our favorite, What a Day that Will Be. That is the song I first harmonized to when I was 6. We were on our way to Grammy Day's house and I put my head down and covered my ear to find my note. We have been singing it ever since.
The words to What a day That Will Be are so fitting. First, it has her name in it. My grandmother, her Mother, had planned to name her Glorious Peace Day because she was born on Veterans Day. She shortened it to Gloria. In the Hymn it references what a day, Glorious Day, that will be.
I shared some of this with my Bible Study and sang the song. I got through the whole thing without crying, but not many of the other ladies did.
So, these lyrics have become so much more meaningful.
Here is a website with the lyrics and the tune. My mother has a scooping voice so be sure you slur the notes if you want to sound like her. Also, close your eyes and focus on the words. That is what she would do. You might even raise one hand just a little.
http://my.homewithgod.com/heavenlymidis2/whataday.htmlI hope you can picture it now. Except, now she can't sing. It was really amazing, because up until about a month ago, I could sing some old song we may not have sung for 20 years, and she would know it and sing along. About 6 weeks ago she sang along with me to Psalm 100. She knew the whole thing. She still knows it, but she can't get the sound out.
But she is still able to show what a sweet person she is inside. While being assisted in the bathroom, she looked up at my Dad and said, "Thank you so much."
And that is my mother. Such a very happy and sweet person on the inside that even Alzheimer’s cannot keep it from coming out.
They say Alzheimer’s is like a long goodbye. I just don’t like the sound of it. My mother is my role model. She is my hero. She is my standard of what a wife and mother should be. I could go on with all the wise saying she has. Maybe later.
