Category Archives: Aging Parents

Mother’s Day 2013

Posted on May 12, 2013 by ivanbenson

“Happy Mother’s Day!” That’s what I’d like to say to My Mother, today. But she is on a journey that has taken her away. She missed Dad’s birthday party as well as her own earlier this month, and she was … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging Parents, Assisted Living, Family History, Fathers, Nursing Homes, Stories, Uncategorized | Tagged 2012, 2013, abusive, Arizona, bound, children, death, dependent, DNA, dreams, Georgia, loving, Mother's Day, neglectful, nurturing, orange tree, relationships, symbiotic, Tennessee, Texas Ranger bush, yellow roses | 6 Comments

The Cane in the Corner

Posted on May 7, 2013 by ivanbenson

There is a walking cane that sits in the corner of one of the rooms in our house; it belonged to my mother. She used it up until her back surgery and recovery last year. After that, she was confined … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging Parents, Assisted Living, Family History, Fathers, Nursing Homes, Stories, Uncategorized | Tagged back surgery, compassion, father-in-law, Fritz handle, gift, goodwill, grandmother, in-laws, inlaws, kindness, legacy, love, memories, museum, Norman Rockwell, Ohio, peace lily, physical therapy, posterity, preserve, PT, purpose, recovery, Singer sewing machine, time, walker, walking cane | 4 Comments

Time to Write (My Grandson Turned Two)

Posted on April 19, 2013 by ivanbenson

I have no idea what to write about today, but . . . I want to write. I must have something inside me that wants to come out and make itself known. Maybe I am full term with an idea … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging Parents, Family History, Stories, Uncategorized | Tagged ad infinitum, adoption, apples, birth mother, birthday, chain of events, chartable, decisions, divine wisdom, fortitude, gift, giving birth, grandson, life-changing, marketing, Mickey Mouse, monumental, Papa, pectin, ramifications, sotto voce, Thomas the Tank, time, toys, two years old, writing | 12 Comments

Dog Poop and Other Things That Stink

Posted on February 26, 2013 by ivanbenson

If you’ve lived long enough on this planet and have been out-of-doors for any period of time you’ve probably experienced it. One day you take an uninformed step on the ground beside you and you sense you’ve landed in a … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging Parents, Assisted Living, Family History, Nursing Homes, Stories, Uncategorized | Tagged 1951, Andy Griffith, aroma, bizarre, consideration, dependent, dignity, dog poop, elder abuse, fast-paced, freedom, ghosts, God, hurry, incomprehensible, infractors, mother, Nursing Homes, olfactory, oxygen tank, patience, Plymouth, praise, pungency, rehab facilities, respect, rush, stink, taking things for granted, veracity, waiting, wheel chair, white shepherd/lab mix | 4 Comments

My Father’s Tools

Posted on February 8, 2013 by ivanbenson

My father was a crafstman with wood. He could build furniture, build a house, take some pieces of wood and shape them into a 3-inch tall replica of a rockingchair with splayed legs pegged into the seat (just like the full-size ones we sit … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging Parents, Family History, Fathers, Stories, Uncategorized | Tagged approval, baseboard, courage, craftsman, father, grandfather, imperfect, legacy, miter box, persevere, pliable, presence, saw, stowaway, Sweden, tools, Tucson, woodworking | 6 Comments

It’s Not About Me!

Posted on December 31, 2012 by ivanbenson

I sat by my Dad’s beside as the doctor reviewed his medical condition and provided him with the treatment options that were available to him. Dad only had one kidney (he had lost the other to cancer several years previously), … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging Parents, Family History, Fathers, Stories, Uncategorized | Tagged acceptance, anger, Dad, death, depression, desert view, dialysis, goodbye, hospice, hospital, let it go, Life, not about me, peace, perfect storm, resignation, thank you | 10 Comments

First Christmas

Posted on December 22, 2012 by ivanbenson

My first Christmas was in 1953. But I don’t remember it at all. I was just a few weeks out of the incubator at the hospital in Chattanooga (having been 4 to 7 weeks premature, and just over 4 lbs … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging Parents, Family History, Fathers, Stories, Uncategorized, World War II | Tagged Christmas, death, Family, first, gifts, memory, Merrythought toys, mother, ornaments, presents, teddy bear, toys | 10 Comments

Unfinished Tasks

Posted on December 7, 2012 by ivanbenson

My oldest daughter was going through Christmas cards yesterday, sorting through some of her late grandmother’s unused cards to use as her own this season. We had given these cards to her as we cleaned out mother’s apartment in late … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging Parents, Assisted Living, Family History, Nursing Homes, Stories, Uncategorized | Tagged blessings, cards, Christmas, death, Family, final words, joy, loving words, mother, season, smiles, tasks, unfinished | 10 Comments

The Final Cut

Posted on November 29, 2012 by ivanbenson

My family and I went to see Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln” last night at the movie theater; what a marvelous performance by Daniel Day-Lewis, portraying the beloved president who was complex yet simple, powerful yet demure, jocular yet intense, cheerful yet … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging Parents, Family History, Fathers, Stories, Uncategorized | Tagged death, depression, father, film, final cut, grief, healing, Life, Lincoln, mother, movies, mulligan, scripts | 16 Comments

The Matchbook

Posted on November 13, 2012 by ivanbenson

One of the many tasks that usually falls to the primary caretaker for a departed parent is the sorting through of clothing and possessions; what to keep and what to donate, or throw away. It is an arduous task, of … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging Parents, Family History, Fathers, Stories, Uncategorized, World War II | Tagged aging, ancient Israel, chattanooga, History, investigation, love, marriage proposals, matchbooks, memories, parents, remembrances, restaurants, the past, tomlinson's restaurant, world war II | 6 Comments

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