Another birthday for me......

I will be celebrating another birthday in just a few days....but I will not hear my mom say Happy Birthday.  Now her days run together, she does not know who had a birthday, when it was and never told any of us Happy birthday.  It is sad that she has no concept that she is our mom, grandmother,  or wife.  She is just someone who longs to see her parents again and wonders where they are.  We go to see her and I start every visit by saying, 'Hello Betty, I am your daughter Diane'.  Sometimes there is a glimmer, sometimes she cries but does not know why but most of the time it is just a face with no recognition of who I really am.  She became a great grandmother for the 8th time just a few weeks ago but has no idea what that really means.  It breaks my heart to know that she has no idea what is going on around her.  Her words are failing and she repeats herself...the last visit the 'magic word' was pigs, pigs, pigs.  It has been pickles and paper at different times and there is no way to understand what she is trying to say.  Mom we all love you and know that you are just a shell of what you used to be.  We will soon celebrate Thanksgiving and we will be thankful for the many years you knew us, loved us and raised us and helped us raise our own children.  We are praying for you as you hang in there with this awful disease.