Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Non-attachment

My grandmother has Alzheimer's disease.  We moved her closer to us last year so that she could be surrounded by people who love her and care for her.  I am glad that we did that so we can be with her for the last years of her life.  Her disease is progressing rapidly.  She still knows who I am but cannot always remember my name.  Her health is declining rapidly also because of the disease, the brain forgets to tell the other body parts to function.  She recently had a heart attack and has been having mini strokes, her kidney's are shutting down, she never feels hungry and is freezing when it is 35 out.  Her exercise in non-attachment is easy, she doesn't even remember what she owns or why it is or was important to her.  This is the one good thing about being 87 and having Alzheimer's, the material things that used to be so important don't matter.  Her daily ritual of cleaning her house top to bottom is no longer important.  Her hair, make up and outfit when she goes out is not important (she doesn't go anywhere anymore).  She gets more joy out of seeing my mom, myself and my three children then she does out of the objects or routines that used to matter.  I am happy for this.

My exercise in non-attachment is quite difficult.  I lived with my grandmother for a long time while I was little.  I am the eldest grandchild born to a teenage mom.  I called both my mom and my grandmother mommy for a long time.  In essence I have two mothers.  I am very lucky to have this experience.  It was my grandmother who potty trained me, taught me how to tie my shoes, taught me how to bake and who I talked to about boys.  When I was little she and my grandfather moved back to the Nova Scotia where my grandfather was from.  I would spend entire summers there as a child and loved every minute of it.  My heart broke every time I had to say good bye.  I feel like this is what is happening again.  I knew then as a child and even when I would visit as a young adult that I would see them again, talk on the phone to them again but I still cried.  Now I know that I won't see her physically again in this life, that she is with me in who I am, how I look and partially for who I am but it is still hard. 

How do I exercise non-attachment to a woman who helped raise me, who I love so much?  I have meditated, I have thought about it during my physical yoga practice, I have thought deeply about it, and now I write.  I know that I don't have to let go just yet but the time is coming.  I want to have it some what resolved so that I can let her go be at peace.

Namaste,
Jennifer

4 comments:

  1. Maybe that is the joy and pain of loving.....how do we practise non-attachment when it comes to another soul who has impacted us so greatly? Is non-attachment a form of protecting oneself from the inevitable grief that follows loss? Maybe focus on surrendering as opposed to non-attaching and touch her, smell her, hug her and enjoy every minute you have with her now.

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  2. Thank you Julie - I already do that and always have. I will have no regrets about my relationship with her - I tell her every time I see her how much I love her, hug her, kiss her and love her. 'm not sure if non-attachment is protection, or just simply being present to the moments. Not the past or the future but being in the now.

    Ahhh love!!!

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  3. Hugs Jenn. You said it beautifully, she is and always be a part of who you are. She will live through you and the things she inspired you to do. And in time, you will pass those things to your kids, and grandkids and remind them that it was their great-grandmother who started it all. Hugs :)

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  4. As I wipe tears I realized that you have learned so much from her. I barely knew any of my grandparents and my kids barely know my parents. You are very lucky. She has taught you to feel deeply - what better lesson is there???
    Karen
    Buckshi

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