Time Flies!

Hola, Hello! Hope this finds you well and enjoying the New Year. I can’t believe it’s the third week of January already. The days are zipping by.

Last week I visited my parents who now live with my sister Alyce in southern New Jersey, where we grew up. My folks, Del and Lorraine, are almost 87 years young. My nickname for them has always been the ‘Dynamic Duo.’ Growing up, my folks were ageless and healthy, young at heart, and a great team. Wonderful role models. And best friends.

Last April in Florida, my dad suffered a serious stroke, and the doctor told my mother he probably wouldn’t survive. After this devastating news, my sister and I worried my mother wouldn’t survive! She relied on Del for everything, especially after her severe hip break—resulting in one leg almost 1 ½ inches shorter than the other. In addition, Lorraine’s eyesight is failing, with the rapid onset of macular degeneration. If daddy survived, how could mother take care of HIM when she needed him to help her? What should we do? Decisions needed to be made. I suggested they move up to Massachusetts with Grant and me. But Alyce decided she’d move them to New Jersey so that mother could live with her and Dad could go into a nursing home. I had misgivings, but mother thought it the best solution. My heart ached at the idea of the Dynamic Duo being separated.

Well, Del proved the doctor wrong when he showed signs of amazing recovery. He worked very hard to get back on his feet and quickly proved he was too healthy for the nursing home, declaring “that place is full of old people!” So Alyce moved daddy to a nice assisted living home, but Del referred to it as ‘the prison.’ He longed to be half of the Dynamic Duo again.

Finally, after several visits to our home in Massachusetts, where my dad proved he was able to hold his own and not rely on his wife for everything, Alyce realized they would be okay alone during the day (while she was at work) and decided to move daddy into her house to be with mother. I reminded her, “Together they make one.”

Daddy still has some short-term memory loss, but he’s walking on his own (with a little help up and down stairs), gets dressed and can do simple chores, does cross-word puzzles again (his passion), reads the newspaper (mostly checking the Sports Section for game results), eats like a horse (or at least like a ‘Del Castillo,’ our family name), and cracks jokes every chance he gets. If he ever loses his sense of humor (or determination), I’ll really start to worry!

So I flew down last week, to check on them and help out with small chores. I cleaned, moved heavy furniture, did minor electrical repair, put up curtains, towel bars, and pictures, and assembled shelves. Mostly we talked, sang songs, told stories and laughed. Time certainly does fly. It wasn’t that long ago my parents were taking care of me and giving me moral support.

So now, my mother has her twinkle back; and my dad smiles at her with eyes of a young, handsome muchacho. The Dynamic Duo has been reunited. Halleluiah!