"Age cannot wither Her, nor custom stale her infinite variety." (Antony & Cleopatra)

.....This post is going to be about caregiving. I have one of the greatest, most helpful, most sensitive, most loving, and most adorable caregiver. She is really not supposed to act in this capacity at her age, but she was a little careless about checkinng out the Baron's age when she married. And now the time has arrived when caregiving is a necessity. After all, she has to keep track of my cane; she has to know how to take apart and put together my scooter; she has to put on my socks and take them off; she has to fill the pill boxes every week with the proper prescribed medications; she has to bandaid me when I draw blood; she has to see that all the doctor bills are paid, and she has to take care of the responsibilities she has as President of the City of Hope chapter here. My children should heave a sigh of relief that they are not responsible for my caregiving.

.....RH+ is a graduate of American University and, I don't know how she does it, but besides all the other things she does because she is capable of doing them, she reads a ton of books. She is never without a book in her hand. Never. Now she has to read books with large print. She has no vision in her left eye, the result of a botched cataract surgery. And I never hear her complain. You would never think a bookworm could cook, but Rho can cook anything. Her specialty, brisket, comes around once a year at Passover. Of course, Rho is retired also and she doesn't cook every day. Sometimes, when I ask her what's for dinner, she replies, "Reservations" !

.....We have been married 26 years and we have never had a fight--a spat or two--but never anything serious. The night I met her--New Year's Eve, 1978, I was smitten by her smile. She has a smile that lights up a whole room. Before the wedding I implored the Rabbi to put that smile into the Katuba. Aside from her smile, RH+ is feisty; when she gets her dander up, it's bye, bye, blackbird. I don't know what that means; I just made it up, but there is no other way to describe Rho when someone or something makes her angry. Right now, the major source of her anger is her lap top when it doesn't listen to what she'd like to do.

.....She loves the theatre, especially ballet. She can knit. She is mesmerized by "Jewel Quest" on the lap top. She loves her new car, the Chevvy Malibu. She becomes Sherlock Holmes when I misplace my hearing aids, my glasses, my wallet, my keys--or anything else I can't find. She is adept at opening my fortune cookies in Chinese restaurants--I can't. RH+ is an amazing woman, and I know I hit the jackpot when I found her at a time when I needed her. God has been guiding me ever since I survived WWII. And besides being thankful for four wonderful children, I am especially thankful for the woman who shares my bed. May God bless her as He has me.

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