Thursday 12 July 2012

Precious Hands

 

These hands belong to the Most Precious Woman in the World, my Mum.

With these hands she held me, kept me safe, loved me. These hands nurtured me, they fed me, they kept me clean, if I fell they picked me up. These hands worked hard to ensure I had somewhere warm to sleep, they wrapped presents for me to open and wrote in cards for me to cherish.

With her hands she has knitted for me, has sewn clothes for me, she grew vegetables for me to eat and flowers for me to smell. These hands decorated my bedroom, they painted pottery for me to admire and baked cakes for me to devour.

Mum can no longer use these hands. When I visit her, I hold and kiss them and I tell her how hard they worked for me.

Three years ago Mum began to disappear from us, at first it was unnoticeable, then she disappeared almost overnight, and try as we might to hold on to her, it was like grasping the air. She had gone.

Almost 800,000 people in the UK are affected by Alzheimers, it is a cruel illness. When someone we love dies, we know that their memories of us die with them, it is even harder to comprehend when they still stand before you.

Thank you Mum, so many of my crafty ways are because of you.

My Mum would have been giddy with excitement if she knew I had started this blog. She would have bored the ladies in her pottery class each week with my antics! she would of been proud of me. I love my Mum.

Ada :)

28 comments:

  1. Oh Ada, your post made me cry. I cannot imagine how hard this must be for you. But I can feel the love in your words and I am sure your mum feels them too. You are both in my thoughts.

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  2. Brave to write Ada and so good you did as your mum is part of the reason you're here writing this here blog. A wonderful tribute toy your mum and all she gave you and means to you.

    I don't know which is worse really physical death or mental. This year my mum has coped with the recent death of my dad and the mental loss of a sister (which she says is the same as if she has died because she won't be coming back). I agree it is cruel.

    X

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  3. Beautiful post Ada about your amazing mom! So sorry for this horrible illness. My great grandmother suffered from this. Will be keeping you and your mom in my prayers! Hugs to you! xo Heather

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  4. Oh your sweet sweet mom! This post does sadden me so...what a terrible illness...sending you both lots of love. I am sure she still feels yours. xoxo HUGS

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  5. Your post brought tears to my eyes. Your love for you Mom is evident in each word your wrote. This illness is such a terrible thing. It takes away our loved ones so completely and yet they are still here. This was a beautiful tribute to your Mom and I'm sure if she could tell you, she would say how very, very proud she is of you.

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  6. Ada, what a lovely post, I know it will have touched the hearts of many who read it. My own mum (90) was diagnosed last year but really she has been going downhill for several years. It is very slow with her, she is still, with lots of help from many people, living in her own home and can manage to go to lunch club once a week and have her hair done as well, but she is losing 'bits' of herself, and can only take in so much - she certainly wouldn't understand about my blog so there are many things these days I don't tell her. There needs to be lots of love flowing about, and it is very evident the love you have for your mum.

    A very cruel and frightening illness. Lx

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  7. Ada, what a lovely tribute to your mum - she must really feel the love you're surrounding her with - and I'm sure she is still as proud of you as she ever was .... stay strong - you are in my thoughts, Bee x

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  8. So sad, but what beautiful memories. I lost my nan to this cruel disease about three years ago but she had it since she was 55 she died when she was in her seventies. She was a bright bubbly big lady and she withered away to a skinny lifeless nothing. I will always remember her fondly. She was always giggling and happy this is what I will remember.

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  9. What a lovely dedication to your dear Mum ... it's so sad, but your love for her shines throughout. A beautiful post xxx

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  10. You are all so kind, thank you! My life has changed so much over the last few years and I have had to face lots of challenges, Mums illness being one of them. We are both doing good, Mum is in a contented place, she never seems worried or stressed and I know that she still feels the love we share, even if she can't quite remember who I am! Many of us are touched by this cruel illness lets hope they find a solution to it soon. Ada:)

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  11. Such a brave and honest post..your Mum will always be proud, keep holding on to those wonderful hands x
    Much love Jane xxxxxx

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  12. Your love for your Mum shines through in this post, it brought tears to my eyes.

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  13. Ada this is such a moving post. Thanks so much for sharing your love for your Mum with us. xx

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  14. What a lovely tribute to your Mum. And I do know exactly how you feel, as I am in a similar situation with my Mum (though she still seems to knows who I am... for the time being). It is a cruel illness indeed.

    Thank you for your sweet comments on my return to blogging. They are truly appreciated! Love your blog, by the way (and am quite envious of all your vintage sheets. I am on a constant look-out, but seem to be out of luck).

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  15. This post I have read numerous times. Reminds me of my Nans hands and how we held them. It made me cry and I have to say it's one of the most moving posts that I have read in a long time. Your Mum is very special and lucky to have such an amazing Daughter xx

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  16. Such a beautiful post, choked me up good and proper, I'm sorry that your Mum has this awful disease..thoughts are with you xxx

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  17. Thank you all for your support and strengthening comments, I have all my lovely memories even if Mum doesn't. She has however still remembered she loves cuddles and chocolate, so gets lots of both! Ada :)

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  18. Oh my, this is beautiful. i'm so touched.
    And those hands look beautiful.

    Thank you, xx

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  19. A beautiful post... I'm moved and touched by your love and honesty.
    What a truly lovely mum you have... a what a truly lovely daughter she has in you... Smiles and blessings Cass

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  20. What a moving post. Such a cruel disease. My sympathies for you and your family.

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  21. Thank you for your kind comments Ada :)

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  22. Such a beautiful post Ada, I was extremely touched when I read it! Now you mum has your precious hands to look after her.
    Victoria xx

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  23. Just wanted to say hello and that I feel for you and what you're going through with your mum. My mum had dementia and like you we felt like we'd lost her. It's a cruel illness for the person suffering and for the family.
    You'll find the strength to cope because you have to but it breaks your heart.
    xx

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  24. Hello - just come across your lovely, sweet blog while browsing others, and just wanted to add my wishes of peace to you and your Mum. I lost my own mother almost 2 years ago to this illness, but in truth we had been losing little bits over the years. Just keep holding on to those lovely hands as hard as you can - she will know somehow.
    Jacqui xx

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  25. What lovely words about your mum. My nan died a year ago, she had Alzheimer's for the last few years of her life, such a cruel and horrid illness. Luckily, she did have 80 odd good years. I'm so sorry to hear your mum has this illness too.
    Your blog is a delight to visit.
    Hen x

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  26. I have recently started following your blog and feel so much for you, there is no one like our Mum is there and to lose her is devastating, to see her retreat into a world where you cannot be must be heartbreaking Ada. I lost my Mum nearly 6 years ago when she was 92, she was a bit confused but knew us until near the end, loss is so hard to bare or maybe bear. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

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  27. This is a very beautiful post and I chime with so many of the things you say. My own beloved and artistic mother had multi-infarct dementia for fifteen years, for most of which she could not speak. We shared music, Songs of Praise and poetry which I read to her, and it was a very long goodbye. She died five years ago, we mourned her loss for years before that.
    You are right, this is the most cruel and costly disease and I do not understand why so much emphasis in medicine is given to defeating other diseases but not to finding a way to defeat this one, to which more and more will be subject in time.
    My son and daughter are both artistic and I like to think that some of their skill is a part of my mother living on in them.
    Thank you for sharing your lovely thoughts on your mother, you reminded me of things I loved about mine and gave a little part of her back to me.

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  28. Just made me cry reading this x

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