We celebrated my mom's 95th Birthday with cake, party hats and precious birthday cards from my first grade class.  I explained to my students my mom was in a special place for people with Alzheimer's.


"What's that Ms. Kent?"

 I explained it is a disease that slows thinking skills and memory.
When I visit my mom she will repeat herself.  But you have to be patient because she can't help it.
We are lucky because she still remembers us.

 She says to my sons Alex and Michael.

|" It makes me so happy to see your face.  I love you.|"

We brought Happy Birthday Balloons and a special Christmas sweater.

|"I like that."  as she holds the sweater to her chest.


She opened the special hand made cards created with six year old minds and loved the colorful pictures.

|"Oh she likes my pink kitchen."  as she pointed to the picture of her favorite color pink.

She loved her special Christmas tree decorated with reindeer's made with googly eyes.  The red and white candy canes look like Rudolph with pipe cleaners for antlers.  I think it was the same craft my mom taught us to make when she was Room Mother for our class.

She placed the special hand made birthday cards in her memory box.  The same box she holds other letters from her friend Jack.  Old meets youth when she looks at each drawing of stars and Christmas trees.  Sometimes she would stop and say my back hurts.  It's hard when your bones are 95 years old.
We all sang Happy Birthday in the dining hall.  Friends sat at our table as we ate delicious butter cream white cake my brother had brought.


 I am grateful to all of the staff who cares for her.  It is not an easy task but they do it with love and grace.  Thank you to my first grade students who so joyfully made the cards and candy cane reindeer.  It made her birthday more glorious.   Happy Birthday Mom!!!  You are the best Mom ever.