Author: AMF-Admin

Chapter 36: Thanksgiving…? October 13, 2025 Today is the Thanksgiving holiday in Canada.  Given the state of the world and the fact that I was born in an amazing country, I know I should be grateful for so many things, but “thankfulness” seems like too big of an ask right now.  I’ve resolved to at…

Chapter 35: Roller Coaster Week May 26, 2024 I’m not sure that I am ever going to fully adjust to how “new life with mom” puts me through the emotional wringer.  I mean, stressed and worried is my new baseline – I just have to live with that.  However, I wasn’t prepared for how tired…

Chapter 34: Uncomfortable Observations April 20, 2024 Well, I guess mom is living with something that is not going to allow us to stay in denial.  The observations are becoming…deeply uncomfortable. During my morning and evening calls to mom, I always ask if she has taken her medications.  And – apparently I can’t always trust…

Chapter 33: One-Month Anniversary September 29, 2025 Today was a real mixed bag – equal parts comforting, incredibly sad, and somewhat relieving; but overall, incredibly exhausting.  The weather seemed to match everyone’s mood – it was cool, windy, and generally quite gloomy.  Maybe that helped?  It really didn’t seem like a day for celebration, so…

Chapter 32: Small Victory Accomplished! April 16, 2024 Well, if the journey of one thousand miles begins with a single step… Last month, I talked mom and dad into letting me get our family friend, who is a real estate agent, to set up a search for new listings in seniors’ condo complexes in town.…

Chapter 31: Mom’s Last Night With Us September 28, 2025 Our household is a little uneasy this evening.  Tomorrow will be the one-month anniversary of mom’s death and tonight is the last night that mom’s remains are with us in the house.  Even though the “Month’s Mind” Mass is a broader Catholic thing, I only…

Chapter 30: Cracks Start to Show April 12, 2024 Today wraps up one of the worst weeks of my life.  But as much as I can do the poor me dance, I actually can’t bear to think of how much worse it clearly is for mom. Be careful what you wish for, they say.  No…

Chapter 29: The First Follow-up April 2, 2024 Mom had her one-year follow-up appointment at the Glenrose today.  It seems hard to believe that a whole year has already passed since the initial visits with my family doctor, the testing, and her first PET brain scan. The doctor was really nice – but it was…

Chapter 28: Goodbye to Group September 23, 2025 When mom died, dad was adamant that our notifications included a specific sentence asking people NOT to send flowers and I totally supported him on that.  Why do people send death flowers, anyway?  They’re never colourful – always muted and depressing to look at.  I’ve honestly never…

Chapter 27: Becoming my Parent’s Parent April 1, 2024 Something really weird has started to happen over the last little while.  I’m going through a transition that I don’t care for at all.  Somehow, I am becoming my own mom’s mom.  It is every bit as weird, awkward, and uncomfortable as it sounds.  And I…