I was reminded today that it’s the little things that truly make the world go ’round.  I arrived at Eason House shortly after 4pm this afternoon; mom seemed tired, but not enough to doze off.  I sat with her, tried to get her to look at some photos and flip through a picture book, but she wasn’t interested.  I couldn’t get her to focus at all, so we just sat.  I held her hand, told her I loved her… she was pretty quiet.

When dinner was ready, I walked her to the table, and Liz set her dinner plate down in front of her.  Dinner was sweet potato soufflé, green peas, and bbq spareribs.  It all looked (and smelled) delicious, but would she eat?!  That was the $64,000 question.  She was touchy, and there was just enough commotion to have her right on that line, ready to go over the edge.  I figured it was best not to push, and it wasn’t looking very promising until I finally took a piece of meat on her fork, ate it, then ooooohh’d and awwww’d about how delicious it was.  Before long, she was eating.  A bit of sweet potatoes, a piece of spare rib….  slow, but sure.  Still, pretty quiet.

Then, out of nowhere, she looked at the plate, looked up at me and said (clear as a bell), “Are those peas?”

“Yes, peas,” I responded.

“Yuck, I hate those….” again, clear as a bell. She has always hated peas and it’s somehow so comforting to know she STILL hates them and she KNOWS she hates them!  It made me laugh out loud!

The meal went on, and she continued to eat pretty well (not touching the peas, of course).  I had brought a red velvet cake to the house for dessert, so I told her when she finished, she could have a piece of cake.  Right on cue, her eyes widened, then she looked at her plate – specifically at the peas, and asked “Do I have to eat those?”

Three clear sentences, complete with facial expressions to match the words.  Who knew that she could make me so happy by NOT eating her peas!??  It was just one of those moments, not soon to be forgotten.  If you haven’t experienced them, you may think I’m nuts.  You’ll have to trust me on this.

Ultimately, she ate almost everything else on her plate, though it took awhile… and, when I brought her a slice of cake, her face lit up like a Christmas tree.  She took her first bite, and from that moment until she finished it, there wasn’t another thing that was going to get her attention.  She ate every crumb and every spot of frosting… ♥

Until next time…Carpe diem…