Mother update

So, I spoke to my mother last Tuesday, and was shocked to find she was pleasant. She was a little vague and spacey, and seemed to be trying to multitask, unsuccessfully. Not overly crazy. Which, frankly is a bit of a change.

A quick family history suggests vascular dementia and Parkinson's might run in the family, but who the hell knows for sure.

It looks like the circle of hells are as follows, Al- in the thick of it, me- peripherally involved, and then everyone else. A vast sea of people to whom I can rehash the painful details for sympathy, but I wish I didn't feel so alone in this. I know this is self pity talking, and once I adjust I'll be less melancholy.

As I was moping I remembered talking to a coworker, whose wife had a similar experience to mine, an only child with a mother who was mean, but who got nicer with dementia. In some ways it almost seems like a cruel joke, I had decided to not make an effort anymore, 3 cards a year was what I had decided was fair, Knowing I would get Nothing back. Now, she is nice, and demented. There is some irony or something at work here, maybe karma?