Mom didn't know me

I finally got to take a real vacation, but after five days of not being with Mom, when I got home, Mom didn't know me.
The main event of my vacation was my college reunion and it was wonderful. Renewing friendships, talking about our pasts, planning for the future, promising to keep in touch was a part of the event. Fort Wright College is still as beautiful as I remember and the dorm, former officers' quarters when it actually was a fort, where we held the reunion was very well maintained. Floods of memories came rushing back. Even the priest, Father Sev, was there with us, delighting us with his laugh, his wise words during Sunday Mass, and the ever-present smell of his pipe tobacco. Mass was held just outside the dorm Sunday morning. As we listened to Father, birds flew by and chirped, chipmunks and squirrels played among the trees. It was perfect and I treasured every word. It touched my heart so that I cried.
So after a weekend of college reunion, I dropped a buddy off at the Spokane airport and drove south to Colfax. The day was beautiful, not a cloud in the sky, but I soon had to turn on the air conditioning. When I arrived in Colfax, it was 95 degrees. I was able to check into my motel room, and I freshened up a bit before going to a high school classmate's house where we had a mini-reunion. Lynn Zaring Knott, Nancy Hull Carroll, Elaine Morris McClintock and I gathered at Elaine's house and ate and laughed and visited for more than two hours. It was so good to see them all. Then I went to a dear friend's house, Debi Kennedy Anderson, and stayed there for more than two hours talking the whole time, and then we met more friends, Dan and Susan Hopkins, their daughter, Toni Jo, her fiance David, Dan's dad, Homer and his friend Lorraine, for supper. What a wonderful day. I feel so blessed to have all these people in my life.
On Monday morning, I went to Debi's house for breakfast and then headed west. I left Colfax about 10 a.m. and arrived home about 6 p.m. It was a pleasant, but long journey home. As I was getting things out of the car, Martha and Mom were standing on the porch with the dogs. I saw Mom talking to Martha, but I couldn't hear what she said. When I started in the house, Martha whispered to me that Mom didn't know me. That just about broke my heart. Mom was quiet during supper and continued to be quiet after Martha left. I tried to act as normal as possible, but it was very difficult.
I knew this day was coming, I just didn't know when. And when it did come, it landed on my heart like a ton of bricks.
How I hate this damned disease.
I put off writing about this because it still is very painful. I still don't know if Mom really knows who I am. I guess I shouldn't have been gone that long. It's been five days since I've been home, each day I've been trying to act as normal as possible. I feel like Mom has been trying to act normal, or at least her normal, too. That's what I think it is, an act. I honestly feel like she doesn't know me and maybe she never will.
I know I lost my Mom a long time ago and this woman I live with now is such a stranger. Although I still call her "Mom," she really isn't. She is a stranger in my Mom's body.
God is so good to me, though. I know He guides me each moment and if I listen to His Whispers, I will get through this. My continued prayer is that the Good Lord cradle Mom in His loving arms and takes her Home soon. Lord, hear my prayer.