A beautiful day!!!

My mother is a paranoid schizophrenic and has had this diagnosis since I was about 6 years old. On her good days, I can hold a very normal conversation with her. I am so thankful that we still have the chance to have a somewhat normal relationship, even if that's not the case every day.

A few days ago, we went out to the reservoir east of town and had a great time together. We spread out a blanket under the shade of a huge maple tree and talked for a long time. We sat and watched the fishermen reel in a few. There were a few boats out taking advantage of the calm waters. An occasional duck would fly overhead squawking, breaking our train of thought. The breeze was perfect in the shade even though it was nearly 90 degrees that day. The air was fresh and clean. The ground beneath us was soft and cool. Everything just felt good.

It is so nice to learn things about my mother that I never knew. A lot of her treatments and therapies (such as shock therapy) over the years have caused a lot of memory loss, so when she can remember things about her past I jump at the chance to learn.

She was born and raised in Germany and came to the states at age 20. That was 35 years ago. It has been hard to learn much about her past and her experiences when she lived there. On the day we were under the tree, something must have triggered her memories. We talked for what seemed like hours about her childhood, and how her parents treated and sometimes mistreated her. Some of it was hard to hear, but I think it helps me understand her more to know the things she told me. I learned a lot about her education, her familiy's religious beliefs and how that affected her growing up. I found out so many things I never knew. Somehow, everything was just right that day .

It was a beautiful day in many ways.