Birthdays have always been special to me. And I’ve always considered it a great honor to get to spend someone’s birthday with them. I have had a strong feeling since about the spring of 2017 that Mitzi wouldn’t be here with us to celebrate her 59th birthday. That’s why I loved it when, just a few months ago on August 3, when her family was singing happy birthday to me, Mitzi lit up thinking they were all singing to her. Both of her kids and Angela were there singing and it was absolutely the cutest thing watching Mitzi take it all in with this huge smile on her face as we celebrated her. We even carried on the festivities and pulled out some of Aunt Barbara’s chocolate pie and brownies Mitzi’s daughter made and gave her that for lunch. That experience has played over and over in my mind because it made me realize that we all need people in our lives to make us feel like each day is more than just another day.
Over the last 3 years, I have been so blessed to spend Mitzi’s birthday with her. Gary has been wonderful about sharing her on her special day. In 2017, he met us for lunch to surprise her since we were going that evening to spend a few fun-filled surprise days with her sister. Mitzi absolutely loved that Gary did that.
It’s very difficult for people to try and figure out what to give someone who has Alzheimer’s for an occasion like a birthday. For the record, you will NEVER go wrong by giving someone your time. They may not ever remember what you did or gave them, but I do not believe their heart will ever forget how you made them feel. Memories are stored in the mind. But love is stored in the heart.
I won’t have a picture of Mitzi blowing out candles today, on what would have been her 59th birthday. I didn’t have to find the perfect card to tell her how grateful I have been to get to be her sidekick. I won’t have to read her all the texts and cards that people would send or help her listen to the phone calls with happy wishes. I won’t have to hand her a tissue at the end of the day today because she is so overwhelmed at how much love was poured out on her.
I got up early and sat on the balcony to watch the sun rise over the ocean Mitzi loved so much. It has been cloudy at the beach all week. But as I sat there this morning, I marveled at how beautiful and brilliant the sun was shining through the clouds and creating a spotlight out in the distance in front of me. It was almost like someone left the door to Heaven cracked open…perhaps so the faint echoes of the happy birthday song might drift down and mix with the roar of the waves and wind to let me know that there is a great celebration happening today that is making Mitzi’s face light up just like it did when we celebrated her impromptu birthday back in August…????
(By the way, if you’d like to make a donation in honor of Mitzi’s birthday to her team walking for her on November 16th at the Walk To End Alzheimer’s, you can do that at act.alz.org/goto/movingforwardformitzi.)
