Writing in Snow

I’m Wearing my mother’s face

Word count: 540

I looked in the mirror and saw my mother’s face staring back at me. The first time it happened, it frightened me because it proved I was getting old. The older I get the more I look like my mother. My mother looks like my grandmother. I wonder if it frightened Mom as much as it did me when she looked in the mirror and realized she looked like her mother.

I have gotten of over the fear, the first shock of the epiphany. I even like the fact that periodically people mistake us for sisters. The don’t do that as much any more as they did a few years ago, but every now and then someone mistakes us for sisters.

I have also gone through the epiphanies of “Oh, Crap! I sound like my mother.” and “I’m acting like my mother. I said I would never act the way my mother acts and now I’m acting like my mother.” Of course, at 63 I don’t react to those epiphanies the same way I did at 50 or at 30. Now I think its great that not only do I look like Mom, but sound and act like her sometimes as well.

The doctor diagnosed Mom with Alzheimer’s late last year. Mom doesn’t act like herself any more. She forgets where she lays her stuff down and then gets angry because she can’t find what she wants. Mom doesn’t realize she has Alzheimer’s, she blames not being able to find an item on her vision and needing glasses.

I don’t know who or what she’s going to blame after she gets her new glasses next week. Only a little bit of Mom’s problems concern her vision. Most the issues she’s having concerns her vision. After issues with her vision are resolved then there are hearing issues. A hearing aid is next on the list.

I didn’t want to get a reconditioned hearing for her, but I don’t think I have a choice. Mom needs to be able to hear herself talk and right now when she talks to herself, she shots so that she can hear what she’s saying. When Mom shouts she sounds angry and I suspect on some level she is angry, but Mom doesn’t realize that she’s angry.

We had Mom hearing tested last week, a brand new hearing aid will cost about $1,400.00. We can raise the down payment, which will get the hearing aid manufactured. We need the money to pay for the hearing aid when it’s delivered.

I think I’ll call the hearing aid people up Monday and find out how long it takes for the hearing aid to be delivered. At least, I will know how long I have to raise the rest of the money. It always helps to know how long you have when dealing with monetary problems.

I’ll call the people up about the reconditioned hearing aid as well. I don’t liked getting Mom a reconditions, a used hearing aid, but I may have no other choice. There a just certain items a person should buy new each time they get them. Those items consist of hearing aids, false teeth, and underwear, none of which a person should buy used.