Dear Angela Hospice Staff,
Bobbi Byrd and her mother, Rita.
Thank you is not enough for all the wonderful care you gave our mom, Rita, and all our family. Your kindness, compassion and expertise made it possible for us to keep Mom at home for as long as we did, and you never missed a beat when she moved to assisted living. When I was too tired to think, you knew what to do.
I appreciate our nurses, Amanda & Abby & Bob, and those who answered the phone when I called. Thank you to Talar for your help and guidance when things got tough. Thank you to our shower helper, Amaniye. I appreciated your patience and perseverance when Mom became a handful…and your courage! Her dementia and her agitation & combativeness really put you in the trenches!
A special thanks to Tess! You were my rock and main support. Bless you for listening & encouraging me when things were hard. You are amazing! Bless you for your compassion, wisdom and strength when mine were failing. You reminded me why I have loved Hospice for so many years.
Love & blessings,
Bobbi Byrd & Family
Printed with permission.
Fog
by Bobbi Lee Byrd
Fog envelops your brain
Like the thick white mantle of your hair.
The first strands have multiplied, in time
To cover your head and fall over your eyes.
When was it that your mind began to fail?
It’s hard to remember
for the mists first crept along the lowlands
and I refused to notice
until they threatened the road I took to reach you.
Looking back, we made light of those first few patches
not wanting to give credence to our fears
but fog continues to roll in.
Each day you wander farther from my voice.
You still recognize the hazy outline of my face
but will you when tomorrow comes?
The reality of this fog disorients me too and I feel sad.
I am angry that I cannot protect you
and yet, I’m glad that soon you won’t realize
that you can no longer live with family.
Today, we cling to each other
mingling our tears with the heavy damp,
Damn the fog! Damn the fog.
