Tuesdays With Auntie Hope

Today Auntie Hope was more lucid than she usually is. She knew that she was forgetting things and that her memory isn't what it should be. I was happy that she was having a good day until I started to wonder if she ever wonders

• How much longer will I remember how to make tea?
• Will this be the last day I remember my children's names?
• How much more time do I have before I forget everything?

Auntie Hope spoke about her husband, something she rarely does. She mentioned that even though he's been dead for years, she still misses him and finds herself looking around the room to tell him something or wanting to share something with him. When you lose a best friend - even though you push through the grief - you never really replace that relationship. Others come but they will never be quite the same.

Sometimes there are no words. I just sat and listened, drinking tea out of a dirty teacup, and tried not to cry.