When I retired from teaching I had a whole list of things I wanted to accomplish. Of course my list is still long and mostly unchecked. You find the things you put off while you were working you still avoid! My albums are waiting for pictures, my closets full of unneeded stuff, and drawers of fabric are ready to be cut and sewed. But one thing I did pursue which is a passion of mine: writing. I have taught writing in my classes and dabbled at it myself over the years, but with retirement I finally had the time to devote to it. While not attempting to write the “great American novel,” I have had some essays included in anthologies and published a book of my poetry.
In 2011 after attending social networking classes, I decided to jump into the blogging world. I soon ran into a roadblock. When I tried to schedule time to blog, other problems or events would push it to the bottom of my list. This was also the time when my mother began having memory problems and I spent time worrying, making decisions or driving up to help her. I finally realized I was at cross purposes. I should combine the two. Little did I realize the journey it would take me. My mother’s experiences with dementia led to many tales of her need to retain her independence and my attempt to make the right decisions regarding her care. Through it all, I saw the problems the loved one and family encounter and heard from many others who were struggling with the same difficulties I was. It was then, with encouragement of others, that I decided to expand my blog and publish it as a book.
A little of my personal life: I am one of those rare individuals who was born and raised in California. When I was born, Riverside was a middle-sized town of around 30,000 people. It now is a city with a population of over 300,000. It was named after the Santa Ana River that used to flow through its center which is now mostly scrub and cattails and is wet only when it rains. After leaving home, with a detour to San Diego for college, I moved to Palm Desert which is to the East of Riverside. My husband and I have two children and four grandchildren who I try to see as often as possible.
Kathy Bjork
My Mother is Losing Her Memory and I am Losing My Mind 
Kathy,
Please accept my heartfelt sympathy for the loss of your mother. I feel like I have been following your Blog since you started writing it, as I had been experiencing giving care to my mother at the same time. Writing helped me. I am sure, as time passes, you will realize even more what a God send it is to have some type of time related continuity to your memories. It takes a long time…..the healing process…..and it took a long time for me to accept MY relief with the passing of my mother. I still find myself caught up in my ever increasing frustration with our lack of adequate care for the aging. I hear story after story from my friends of their fight with the health care industry around the USA. May you continue to receive the love and support you need. You have been there for your mom throughout the highs and lows. How fortunate it was for her and you to be there with her when she took her last breath. I know you will feel her presence forever. Bless you for sharing your thoughts and actions. Karen
kathy, I just found this. It says im already a follower but I havent been getting any updates for a few years. How can I read the back posts? let me know if you see this.
Thanks for stopping by my blog and liking my post on seniors forgetting vs mis-remembering. I can see from your blog that you have first hand experience dealing with impaired cognition in a loved one. I think it isn’t until a form of dementia strikes a loved one that we learn that some of the worst victims are the loved ones of the afflicted who have to watch day after day.