Browjan's Blog: The Long Good-Bye

On Mother’s Day, I decided to give my mother in law a special treat. So, I gathered up all my Mary Kay and drove over to the nursing home where she is living in the Alzheimer’s Unit. Once there, she sat staring straight ahead as I began pulling lotion, powder and lip gloss out of my purse. I creamed her face and lotioned her hands and went a bit wild with the peacock-blue eye shadow. But, no amount of pampering seemed to alter her gaze. She clutched her baby doll against her soft cheek, and seemed to slip into another world. I left feeling a bit disappointed. I was certain she would not remember the time we spent together, but even so I was glad for one more Mother’s Day with her.

Mother's Day 2011

A few days later, I was visiting again when Mom kept pointing to my purse. I unzipped the closure and let her rummage about in the contents. First she pulled out the brush and said, “Well, well.” I gently brushed her hair for several minutes. Then with determination she began to rummage again until she pulled out a compact. Lifting the lid, she said, “Well, well.” So, I applied a bit of Fancy Nancy lip gloss to her soft mouth.

One of her friends in a near-by wheel chair began to shuffle her chair closer until she grasped my arm. “And thatsa maybe how,” she declared with soft laugh.

“Would you like some makeup, too?” I asked.

“Thatsa maybe how…” she answered.

I put a bit of lip gloss on to a facial tissue and gently applied it to her friend. But before I could finish, another and then another came to gather around me each communicating in their own special way that they wanted to be pampered, too. 

I spent a glorious hour playing make-up with women who might not remember any of it in an hour. However, seeing my mother in law rummage through my purse made me realize once again that it doesn’t really matter how much is remembered. There is great joy in the moment.

A rare smile after a fun day

And this may be just one way to put a happy face on a sad disease.

1 Chronicles 16:11
Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.