"Her Perfect Days"

My Mom was the one who insisted that my sister and I sell the old home and move her into a retirement home. Not that she really wanted to, but she felt that such a facility was where she needed to be.

 She was right about that. She was 95 years old and had lived alone in the house since my father died in 1958. She had recently begun doing things like forgetting to close the front door at night…..falling asleep on the front porch glider…leaving the stove turned on, etc.   She gave up  her drivers license the same day we moved her into the Wilora Lakes retirement community. She had been a very independent woman.

She was never truly happy after that. Wilora Lakes is one of the best facilities of its kind, but as she said, “…it’s where I need to be…….but it’s not home.”

Almost all of her friends had died years ago and making new friends was difficult, because she was almost deaf.

But there were some bright days; the brightest of which were provided by a girl I knew only slightly at Central High.. She was a freshman when we were seniors and sat behind me in the violin section of the CHS orchestra. Yvonne Grant was her name and her parents were both residents of Wilora Lakes.

Because of the Central High connection, Yvonne took my Mom under her wing….and would swing by and visit her each time she visited her own parents. Several times she took her shopping for knick knacks and stuff.

My sister and I both were amazed at the positive effect Yvonne’s loving attention had on my Mom’s outlook. She often said that to her, Yvonne was like having another daughter.

My Mom died in May of 2005.

Yvonne Grant Tucker passed away suddenly in January 2010 after a life filled with “perfect days.” -Ed

"You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you."
-John Wooden