I am happy to report we successfully managed to get my mother to the dentist yesterday. This was the first time I truly felt like I was parenting my parent. I had to be the firm parent and use love and logic to let her know I was in charge. She had two options and neither involved keeping her tooth. I have to say it was harder than parenting my own children. This is the woman who has guided me through every phase of my life and to see her sweet face looking at me like I was the meanest sheriff in town almost broke my heart. There are times now when I see a look of confusion in her eyes or hear her ask a question that was only answered minutes earlier and those are the times I choke back my own tears and grieve my own sense of loss. Her eyes no longer sparkle with the same light but at times reflect her fear of what have now become unfamiliar surroundings. Every now and then she comes back to us and I treasure those moments. It is important to remember that she does not view the world with the same clarity we remember and even the simplest task can be overwhelming and frightening. I watched her so patiently care for her own mother and now I draw on that memory to guide me as I try to provide her with the same loving care and patience she so rightly deserves. I want to hold her hand as she walks the last days of her life just as she was holding my hand as I took the first steps into mine.