The following excerpts are from letters my mother sent to me during the six-year period of time she cared for my dad after he suffered a debilitating stroke.  About five years into her caregiving experience she wrote and said, “I wish I had been keeping a journal all of these years.  I ... Read More

You will be glad to know that my chest pains have stopped . . . They got pretty bad right after Quentin had the stroke. I was beginning to wonder if I should go to the doctor, but I didn’t want Quentin to know how much trouble I was having because he worries about the extra load I’m ... Read More

I’ve thought about the counselor asking if you felt like you were going back to second place.  I am very disturbed with the advice that is being given to people about “doing your own thing and to hell with everyone else.” I think that is responsible for a lot of the divorces and unhappiness ... Read More

We have enjoyed our World Religion class, but I did blow my front of being a sweet little old white-haired lady the other day. . . We were studying the many different religions in India and their customs.  They are still killing baby girls over there.  Someone did a survey fairly recently and ... Read More

I’m glad you enjoyed our little book “Seems Like Yesterday.”  Quentin and I had a lot of fun writing it.  It’s funny how our memories of dating and World War II are still so vivid after all these years. . . I think I might write about different isolated events and possibly just for you.  ... Read More

We are so thrilled you folks are coming over Labor Day.  Quentin will be asking me every few days if that is the day you are coming.  He is really confused now. . . He has asked me any number of times if this was the day someone was coming.  He wanted to know what date you were coming.  I told ... Read More

On the fourth anniversary of Quentin’s stroke he was terribly depressed.  He was convinced he was going to die that night, and he wanted to. . . When we went to bed he told me he didn’t know what was going to happen in the night, but if I woke up and he was having a problem he wanted me to try ... Read More

I think I told you about Quentin’s recent obsession with sex. . . Last week he asked me if I thought I would ever want to have sex with him again. (We had our last romantic encounter the Sunday before he had his stroke.)  I told him that part of our marriage was over.  He then asked me if I ... Read More

I have been through several days of really miserable depression. . . Just out of the blue I woke up one morning feeling depressed.  I think it started with that book Simple Abundance .  She said a person should get an artist’s sketchbook and fill it with pictures of the home you would like to ... Read More

Speaking of jobs – I need for you folks to talk to Quentin when you’re home.  He’s got it in his head that we could have sex again if “I would just help him. . . ” I told him a few weeks ago that wasn’t going to happen.  The next day he asked me to call Avis.  I didn’t.  He asked ... Read More