Mom's bathroom

This is another new normal for me.

I never go into Mom's bathroom unless it's to vacuum. Mom's usual morning ritual has always been after breakfast she cleans her bathroom. I thought she has been doing that all along, but I was wrong.

Last night, she came into the living room and asked me where her toothbrush was. I had no idea, so I went in her bathroom. As I started looking over the counter and in the cupboards, what I discovered was dirt and just a plain mess. I was shocked.

In her "other" life, Mom was so clean you could eat off the floor. And the bathroom was always spotless. I'm not going into detail here, but let's just say that there were dust bunnies where there's never been before and I won't even say anything about the toilet. This is so not like my Mom. It's just another thing I've got to get used to.

Mom insisted I buy her a plain toothbrush a while back, so I bought her two. She has one of those nice Sonic toothbrushes, but for some reason, she's decided not to use it. However, last night, when I couldn't locate any toothbrushes, I asked her about her electric one. She acted as though she hadn't seen it before and I think she actually used it.

And she says now that she's afraid of the shower, so every night I have to ask her if she is taking a shower. Sometimes I think she lies to me, just so I won't say any more to her. And she hates to wash her hair. Today I had to ask her several times to wash her hair and she finally did. But it's like she's a small child, because she procrastinates until some days it's too late for her to wash it. She's got lovely, thick hair that takes a long time to dry, so if it gets too late in the day, she has to wait until the next day to wash it. That was what she wanted to do today, but I wouldn't let her procrastinate.

Now I know why God didn't give me children. I wouldn't be a good parent at all.

I keep praying Mom won't get too much worse and before she does I hope the Good Lord cradles her in His arms and takes her home. And when I pray this, I cry.