This weekend, I am heading off to Edmonton to visit my mom. She will be celebrating her 90th birthday on Monday. It is a monumentous event.
My mother has always been one of the smartest, toughest, most resilient people I have ever met. I got my sense of humour, my passions and my drive from her.
I have always been in awe of her.
My most vivid memories of my mom are when I was very young. She stood guard over me.
My oldest brother, Hans, my brother Ted, My mom, Me and my sister, Anna.
Mom and my BFF from high school, Sharon back in 2012
Back around 10 years ago, we noticed that my mother was struggling with her memories. Sadly, she was diagnosed with dementia. While her long term memories have been solid, her short term memory was suffering.
I have begun to record my mother’s memories as a testament to her. I am not a sound engineer, but I think I am able to capture her essence.
I asked her a lot about her childhood and her side of the family as I am just learning about it.
As you can tell, she is pretty good at remembering her childhood.
Her marriage to my dad was always an adventure.
I will continue to record her memories for everyone but, most importantly for me. I treasure my time with my mom and hope to do so for a long time to come.
Al Zylstra 