Valentine's Day

            I think she used an almost-dried-up Sharpie to write on the Post-It Note, carefully folded in half and sitting on the kitchen table at my place.

            On the outside was one word:  “JOHN.”  On the inside were wobbly little hearts and “Mom.”

            Now that I think about it, I can imagine the scene:  Mom peering at the large atomic clock that sits on our kitchen counter, checking the date.  Valentine’s Day!  With a burst of sentimentality, she creates the little card.

            What is harder to describe is the emotional pain that assaulted me when I read her little note, which reminded me of the notes or cards small children spontaneously make and proudly present to their parents.  Mom is not an emotional person, but she is sentimental when it comes to John and her cat Orie  (short for “Oratorio”).  Her Valentine to John forcefully reminded me that she is slipping back in time as her abilities fade.  I wonder how long it will be until she calls John “Daddy.”