[Fandfs] An update from the Institute

[Honey Williams <honey@honeywilliams.com>]

Greetings!

Sarah here filling in for Honey. I am staying here for the week for a  
little R&R before school starts, sending out resumes (do any of you  
need a bright young tech-savvy research assistant?) and taking care of  
my dear ol' Grandma.

Cynthia is doing well and seems to be regaining strength, or at the  
very least acquiring a voracious appetite. A few days ago mum and I  
went over and made her brunch. Upon completing a feast of steak, eggs  
and potato with a side cup of split pea soup, we asked how she had  
enjoyed the meal. "It was tasty," she said,"but now I think I'd like a  
little chocolate." We couldn't believe it. I go over a few times a day  
now to tempt her with gluten-free treats.

Every day brings new visitors and old friends to the Institute. Time  
continues in stasis, the amber of the moment being the only thing that  
seems real. With Cynthia's short term memory rapidly fading, we are  
all learning how to "be in the moment," a lesson I dare say we all  
need. With each new visitor the stories of days past come tumbling  
out, along with the laughter that fills the living room.

Cynthia has been reading up a storm and we feel this a good sign.  
Whole novels seem a bit daunting, however, and she seems to prefer to  
keep a stack next to her at all times that she can dip into now and  
again. She favors the young adult classics, Wind In The Willows,  
Treasure Island, Robinson Crusoe, et al, which are very comforting and  
familiar. When Gregson Davis was here the three of us read several  
scenes from the Tempest aloud, which was lovely. We did the voices the  
best we could, and only slightly stumbled over the Bards work. Gregson  
gifted Cynthia with a copy of the sonnets, which she seems tickled  
pink about.

It is strange to find myself for the first time in that role reversal  
of caring for an elder who has cared for you. My grandmother  
practically raised me, and adjusting to caring for the person you  
spent the first 15 years of your life looking to for care-taking is  
quite an experience. It feels lovely to be able to repay her, a least  
in some small part, for all the meals she made, the stories she read  
aloud, and the love & comfort she gave me as a child.
I'm struck again and again at how life cycles back at the end to such  
a child-like state. Cynthia's clarity waxes and wanes, and some days  
we discuss literature and geneology, while some days are hazy and  
questions are repeatedly asked and answered. She seems confused more  
often then not, but relieved when we once again explain to her that  
yes, she can have that cookie on the tea-tray, or no, Molly hasn't  
gone to town she's just down the hall.

In a an effort to relieve the boredom of being bedridden, we  
introduced Cynthia to youtube. What witchcraft! What alchemy! Movies  
on the laptop in the living room! The momentary entertainment was  
enjoyable, but I think at this stage the computer is well beyond  
confusing for her. We're going try movies on the projector, I think,  
Planet Earth or something else simple and beautiful to watch on rainy  
evenings.

Molly says we were all too hasty waving off visitors recently, but we  
have all been feeling fairly overwhelmed since the holidays and were  
trying once again to bar the door against the hordes. Of course, it is  
the hordes that keep us all going in the end, and we are once again  
inviting everyone with open arms who want to come and visit the  
matriarch. (We do ask that visitors try and be as self-sufficient and  
communicative about their plans as possible, as we have our hands full  
these days and not always our wits about us.) Call before you come by,  
and you plan to stay make plans in advance with us.

Lastly, do keep letters and photos and stories and thoughts coming our  
way, as Cynthia relishes the news of the outside world and loves  
hearing from all her near and dear.

Much Love,
Sarah


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