Living Longer and Longer

My mother turns 104 this coming Wednesday.  She was born in 1908.  Can you imgine all the changes in technology she has seen.  Lightbulbs for commercial use were only invented in 1879.  So high tech was telegraph, telephone but no tv yet.

I am the youngest of three children.  My sister is the oldest and lives in Baltimore where she has dedicated a large portion of her life to the happiness and comfort of our mother.  My brother and I live in the Charleston area and visit when we can.

At 104 my mother has a few medical problems but nothing very serious.  I guess her life of no drinking, no smoking and eating healthy worked out well for her.  Her father lived to be 92.  So, she has pretty good genes working for her.

She has always been an avid reader.  All of my life I remember her sitting at the kitchen table with a book and a cup of tea and a few cookies.  She has always been a loving mother and put the family before herself.  Now, her sight has deteriorated a good bit and she has not read in years.

She has been a resident of Sunrise in Pikesville, MD, an assisted living facility, for 16 years, since it was opened.  She has always been the teacher.  She loves to share her knowledge with others at Sunrise.  She taught all us children many good things that are a part of our everyday lives.

I remember her coming home after working in our family business all day and making sure we were fed, bathed and had our homework done.  Only then did she take a few minutes for herself.  It was the signature book, tea and cookies.

She was and is a very strong woman.  My father worked away from Augusta most of the week.  He spent most of his time in Atlanta due to taking a postition with the NLRB.  He had been an attorney but had to put that aside for a number of years.  An opportunity came up and he went back to his first love, the law.  He saw it as a faw of putting his children through college.  My mother took up the slack and ran the buisness.  It was a hard life for her but she handled it well and we did not suffer from lack of attention.

I have to give my sister, Carol, and my brother, Jerry, a lot of credit for the dedication they have shown my mother.  Being the baby of the family, I was not in this inner ring of responsibility.

She is comfortable and well-looked after at Sunrise.  We can only hope that we will live as full and happy a life as she did.  Every time I pick up a book, I think of her and it makes me smile.  Even though I cannot be close, when I read I feel the closeness of doing something she loved to do.  I don't care for hot tea but I do like my cookies. 

If your mom is still alive, go give her a hug and tell her you love her.  If she is not, stop and think about her.  Not everone is as lucky as we have been to have our mom around till 104.  So, mom see you again soon, love, Michael.

Michael Kaynard is a local photographer who lives in West Ashley.  His photos can be seen at http://kaynardphotography.webs.com. He can be contacted at mkaynard@gmail.com or 843-412-2299.