Now It's a New Year's Quarantine, Too

Here we are, saying good-bye to 2008, many of us ready to herald in the New Year tonight. Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa are behind us... we're ready to move on to what will (hopefully) be a much easier year for most of us to manage.

Wait... did I say Christmas was behind us? Well, yes, it is for all those who celebrated -- except for those folks I told you about last week who live in my mother's Memory Center. The 15 folks who happen to be Alzheimer's patients, a handful of whom are sick with some kind of upper respiratory thing, and all of whom have been quarantined since Christmas Eve.

Including my mother.... who is now sick herself. So here I am, visiting my parents for the holidays, spending lots of time with Dad! -- but so far, only one hour with Mom.

Yes -- she and the others were sprung on Monday! Until they noticed that perhaps there were a few who weren't feeling so well.... of course, due to their dementia, none of them could articulate it. After seeing Mom for a short time Monday, we learned the quarantine was back on. So, still, no Christmas with Mom. She doesn't know the difference.

I wish each and every one of you a happy, healthy, successful and blessed 2009! I expect our family, and those of the other 14 Memory Center residents, will catch up within a week or so.

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