A little more than several years ago my Mom wanted me to lock up a special piece of jewelry away for her. At the time she had a Safety Deposit box with her regular bank but it didn’t seem enough in her mind. Mom had one of the keys; with myself and my sister had access to it.
“Black birds tend to like shiny things.” ~ The Bloody Raven
In Memory of my Mother 💚
I hoped this wasn’t the result of another argument between my sister and Mom, bracing myself to another round of refereeing and in my mind recall where I stowed away my old office outfit for just such an occasion. The visual humor may go over their heads but I’d wear it again if called upon.
I waited for the phone call but nothing came further of the issue between them yet Mom never asked for the necklace back. Crisis resolved?
Few months passed when I got news of her being admitted to Burnaby general hospital following a freak fall. She had sustained a head injury while shopping for groceries and was under medical watch for at least three days observation. After a little more than a week she was returned home. The Doctor stated that there were no further problems but her motor skills have deteriorated beyond the point where she should no longer be driving and gives refers her to a Gerontologist. At this point my siblings had a long talk with Mom to write her Will, and an Enduring Power of Attorney. Then she had to give up her Driver’s license and sign her car over to my sister. Since my sister continued to live with Mom and was not fully employed she could fill in to drive or accompany Mom to her errands and appointments.
Not even a year later following the head injury, my sister began reporting to me of our Mother’s peculiar behavior. It was gradual at first. Mom wanted my sister to drive her to a place to meet Dad. Dad died in an accident decades ago and the original business was no longer there. This repeated over and over, Mom insisted to be taken to a place prompted by her past memories of commitments. I understood that this was frustrating my sister having to drive her even in the middle of the night. Another obsession developed with the need to go to the bank to pay her Tax or Credit card bills.
I had long taken over filing my Mom’s Income tax and Property taxes years ago to relieve her of that burden. While my Sister kept her eye on the Credit card. There was no way anything was missed from my documents until I realized that she was stung by at least one Phishing scam playing into her sense of insecurity. I don’t know how much cash had been lost but my Mom fell for them easy. We made sure her cell phone had to be set to taking in only known family and frequent use phone numbers then filtering out anyone else.
Things came to a head when she disappeared in the middle of the night. This freaked my sister out when Mom was escorted back home by the police or by the Transit System Supervisor when she was found wandering downtown or over in the next municipality. She became a danger to herself and now required a higher level of care, more than my sister could provide.
Over the last seven years I made a point to visit her weekly at her Residence for lunch. We'd chat, I'd helped her with the latest craft project, go out for a walk or even sit in on a Mah-Jong game.
The last two years where heart breaking watching Parkinson’s slowly rob my Mother’s ability to walk and eat. My being on medical leave had one blessing is that it afforded me much more time to visit my Mom up until she was transferred to the Hospital with aspiration pneumonia. My brother and I were there daily to help feed her but she refused to eat, I put the spoon down and held her hand. “I love you Mom.” It felt colder. I knew it wasn’t long.
Mom was laid to rest next to my Dad a week and a half ago.
This lovely Jade heart pendant is old judging by the tiny bumps and wear along the edge of the 22k gold bezel. No hallmarks or any identifiable marks. I don’t recall if this was passed to Mom by her Grandma or not but I have a feeling that this was now meant for me. I know she has a safety deposit box with more jewelry to distribute as I now begin to take on the role of Executor once again. It is not even eleven months since I lost my soul sister Debbie to Cancer.
I will make sure that my sons know that Jade pendant came from my Mom.
My apologies to my communities for being quiet on Hive and Discord over the last several weeks, I find myself having my hands full again, sorting my emotions and family affairs out. Being an Executor can be a thankless, emotionally draining, and energy sapping job like that of a referee's.
Thank you friends, for understanding.
Stacking Hive and Precious metals for that dark and stormy night!
The #piratesunday tag is the scurvy scheme of Captain @stokjockey for #silvergoldstackers pirates to proudly showcase their shiny booty and plunder for all to see. Landlubbers arrrh… welcomed to participate and be a Pirate at heart so open yer treasure chests an’ show us what booty yea got!
References & Sources
Photos are my own shot with an ancient 2018 Samsung SM-A530W or otherwise indicated.
Dress; Suzy Shier Black & White style3427 CA35467
P. Image under Pixabay
W. Wiki Commons
☠️🎃 Page Dividers by thekittygirl. ❄️🌞
Cameo Raven Brooch from The Black Wardrobe.
The 2024 Hive 0.999 Silver Round.
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