That Mother Lode

I am rarely alone because my shadows follow me around the house. Isis isn't allowed in certain rooms, but she sticks as close to me as she can and sometimes sits outside the door watching me. Ayomi crawls all over the house trailing me. One day, I walked out of the laundry room, and they were both sitting there waiting on me. They make me feel like I'm the most important person in the world, because I am, in their world.  Since Ayomi is mobile now, he likes to reach out to Isis and try to play. I tell him to be gentle because he pulls her ears sometimes. Isis allows him to touch her, even her hypersensitive paws, without fussing. She mostly avoids him though. She's never mean or aggressive, she just tolerates him while trying to get close to me. She no longer sits outside his bedroom door while I prepare him for bed. Instead, she prefers to stay outside and come in the house once he's sleeping. It's funny to watch her sniff and look to be sure he's not around be...

I'm experiencing a very challenging period of my life. I am a new mom, and I'm caring for my mother who has dementia. Sometimes she's my mom, and sometimes she's my toddler. It feels like I've climbed a mountain every time I leave the house with Ayomi for a scheduled activity. This morning started off rockier than usual. Not only did I have to dress myself and Ayomi, I had to make sure my mom was dressed too. It was a struggle, but we made it to the event (later than planned).  More than 20 years ago, my mom founded Pretty N Pink, a Breast Cancer Support organization focused on bringing awareness and support to black women in southern Dallas. She started by hosting a gathering of about 20 people in 2002. Today, there were over 200 people gathered in a ballroom for Pretty N Pink's annual fundraising breakfast. At one point, I looked around the room at all those people, and I felt very emotional. They were there because my mom created this organization when she wa...