Jane Sibbett

Jane Sibbett Instagram – Just a little snippet of my day with Mom. 95 and every day she’s upright and laughing is a blessing. Covid is whipping through her facility and by the time we returned from her painful dermatology appt, three more residents had tested positive with Covid. That’s more than 10% of the residents in less than a week so she’s in lockdown again. We’ve been careful. She loves any outing, but she especially loves having picnics in the cozy car where she can people watch. And despite now being legally blind she can see shapes that bring stories and could even see in the reflection of the window ahead of us the cars on the freeway behind us. Not clouds scuttling—cars and trucks! What life she has seen. She wants to remember it all, she says. I am glad she can’t see my eyes well with tears. So many layers of life here and the stories are slipping so we repeat them over and over and over so we can remember—remember the name of the ranch her family owned where she summered and became a sought after high diver for her courage and grace high diving out of the cottonwood trees into the Sacramento River. Remember the first boy who kissed her. Remember this sweater. With me she eats grilled brie, apple, and spinach sandwiches and oatmeal cranberry cookies with a sip of cocoa—delicacies over the shredded and minced foods they feed her to safeguard choking risks. A real sandwich is risky business, but it fuels her spirit as she takes her time reveling in a little tasty freedom. She tries not to finger her new wounds-the injustices of a life in the sun and the freeze & burn of the little cancers from the appointment. She remains positive. Hopeful. Exhausting work today, but she keeps trying. She is tired but doesn’t want to go back. But the meds call. She is brave and stoic and as her mask slips, she hugs tight today. She is grateful for her squirrel friends that she feeds all day long, newly dancing her hands with them now, too. So sweet. She’s grateful for the music and the Hallmark Mystery channel I left for her to listen to. I always cry a little as I drive away to work, but I am so grateful that we have her still. Prayers are always welcome. Thank you. 😘💕 | Posted on 11/Jan/2024 06:11:14