Lorna McIlroy | President , ARTA

— Brendon Burchard

“ Was I an immaculate housekeeper ?” my mother queries anxiously . Her arthritic fingers are gripping the triangle above her hospital bed , raising her upper body erect , while wrinkles furrow her forehead as she greets me for my daily visit at her long-term care facility .

Apparently , earlier today , my mother had been tidying her night table . From her bed , she can reach the top surface and the shallow drawer . She likes to have everything in its proper place so that she can reach out her hand in daylight or darkness , and confidently locate hand lotion , hairbrush , peppermints , photos , or notepad and pencil . The drawer also contains her antique cassette player with headphones so that she can listen to her audiobooks day or night without disturbing anyone . This night table is now her sole bastion as , even from her wheelchair , she cannot access her closet , or anything stored in her bathroom . One of the friendly caregivers had observed her methodical tidying and innocently said , “ I ’ ll bet you were an immaculate housekeeper .”

I know well from experience that the wrong answer or a careless comment can torment her until my next visit . I think back to my childhood home . It was clean but not immaculate . There were immaculate homes nearby that I enjoyed visiting . Returning home from these homes , I would briefly attempt to bring some order to our overflowing bookshelf or crowded china cabinet .

Our home was always vibrant and alive with

ongoing projects . In spring , geraniums bloomed on the windowsills along with tomato and cabbage seedlings , while in the corner an incubator hatched baby chicks . Summer was busy with preserving berries and vegetables for winter , when the sharp smells of a crock of sauerkraut and a crate of dried cod mingled with the daily aroma of bread baking . The treadle sewing machine was always open with a stack of mending weighing down the hinged cover . Various projects such as patchwork quilts , braided rag rugs , and knitting were available for any spare minute , perhaps while listening to the radio .

Only a few seconds have passed but she repeats her question . Raising her frail body even higher , she implores , “ Was I an immaculate housekeeper ?”

I answer with a tentative , “ No ,” fully intending to qualify my answer , but my mother immediately interrupts me as she lowers herself back to her pillow , the worried wrinkles in her forehead magically disappearing as her gnarled hands smooth out her bedcovers . “ Thank goodness ,” she says , “ That ’ s the last thing in the world that I would want to be remembered for .” I breathe again . Another crisis has been averted .

Under difficult circumstances my mother always chose to live a vibrant life , and everyone around her benefited from that choice . As retirees , we too can choose to live a healthy , active , engaged , and vibrant lifestyle , and we can be assured that

ARTA will always be there to support us on that quest .

news & views SUMMER 2021 | 5