Thirty One Years Ago....

Thirty One Years Ago...

A six month old Baby Wage Mage spent the day with her Yia Yia. (If you must know, I was amazingly cute.) She spent the entire day in that living room and bedroom, talking about nothing. She fed Baby Wage Mage, wiped her hands and chin, and an hour later, changed her diaper. Then she put the Baby Wage Mage to bed in a crib until Mommy came later.

Thirty One Years Later...

A seventy two year old Yia Yia spent the day with her Wage Mage. We spent the entire day in that same living room and bedroom, talking about gossip and watching TV. The Wage Mage fed her Yia Yia, wiped her hands and chin, and an hour later, changed her diaper. Then the Wage Mage put her Yia Yia to bed until her Mommy came later.

Today, I changed my Yia Yia's diaper. And later on, out of earshot, I cried. Neither she nor I ever expected that there would come a day where I'd be returning the favor. I think you expect your family to be immortal sometimes, that the dynamics of family will not change, even as things change around you. I am sitting here remembering the days before my grandfather got sick, and the entire family gathered sround the table that I am now sitting at. I remember huge Christmases, Easters, family Sunday dinners. I remember the joy and the happiness, and the carefree days that come with being too young to know about bills and jobs.

Today's a hard day for her. Today it's Nurse Wage Mage day, and I am here, telling bad jokes and smiling as best I can, and trying to create good memories out of a bad time. It's a hard day for me too. I'm working through breaking through the concrete walls of the past I remember and the illusions I don't want to give up.