I remember the first day I met Agnes (Aunt Ag), she was quiet and I could feel her staring at me from time to time as I talked with her newphew and niece. I thought, hmmm, maybe we won't be a good match....I started caregiving for her on a Monday, our first days were spent watching the Food Network for hours on end, I thought I would lose my mind, but we muddled through.
Her first outing with me was to get her nails done, she was a glam girl, (ballroom dancer), after the salon we stopped by our local senior center and checked it out, we decided to go in the next week. Aung Ag told me she was nervous about meeting all of the new people in her new neighborhood, (she was a city girl, now living in the country, middle of nowhere)., I assured her that we would be the coolest ones at the center, and off we went. Soon we were going nearly every day. Aunt Ag and Pauline, another senior, taught me how to play Rummy and on Tuesdays we played bingo. She made lots of new friends quickly(she was so loveable).
One day, shortly after joining the senior center, she said "look at this",.... she handed me a small vial and it said "stool sample", I thought to myself, oh no, shes going a little coo coo - she said "open it", I did reluctantly, and to my delight, out fell a little wooden 3 legged stool. It was passed around to all of the seniors, and all laughed. This was the turning point in our relationship. I had found my alter ego. I am so glad I did. We spent the next 6 months talking, laughing, playing rummy, bingo, telling jokes, and lastly going to a Dean Martin impersonator show (she missed seeing him in concert one time and he was her favorite).
Aunt Ag passed away on April 17, 2009, and my heart hasn't been quite the same. I miss her dearly. She was my dearest friend, and I want the world to know that.
I miss you Aunt Ag, love you too.
Gayle (kiddo)
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