Tuesday, March 29, 2005

Moving My Home Office

For the last two years, I have been living with and taking care of my Grandmother. She'll be 93 this summer, and she's had a very happy and successful life. She is still healthy and strong, but is suffering from a progressive case of dimentia.

Some days are better than others, of course. We've shared a lot of stories and laughs, and good meals... and we've both had our share of frustrations, too. All said and done, I am glad I had the opportunity to help her through this time, and to have her as such a big part of my life again. I am glad my children had the chance to know her... and some day I will tell them stories of how she was when she was younger - and what she meant to me when I was growing up.

Her condition is steadily getting worse, and so my father has decided that it is time to make other arrangements. The decisions came about rather quickly, after a particularly hard month - but now that they are made I think it is a relief for everyone involved.

I will be moving across town to a comfortable little brick house with a large back yard in a nice quiet neighborhood. It's an area I've had my eye on for awhile, knowing that I needed to be aware of my options when this time came... and it's a place that I think the kids will really enjoy.

I am very emotional about it all - about leaving Grandmother, and making the move... and all of the choices that are being made in the process. Albert and I won't get to live as close as we have been (across town now, instead of across the yard)... and the children are leaving neighborhood friends - to make new ones. Not to mention the fact that my role as a caretaker has become a very big part of my daily life and routine...

Change can be hard. But I think this is going to be a very positive change for the children and I.

I hope it is for Grandmother as well.

I'll be moving my office over the next couple of weeks - taking things slow, and taking the time to make it a smooth adjustment for all of us. I'll be back to work full time very soon... but in the meantime, I'll be as involved as I can - just know that I am taking a bit of time off to get adjusted ;)