Last year I was on a trip and called home from a layover. I got Sarah, who was very excited and told me there was a tornado warning! I could hear a siren in the background and Sarah asked me to call back after she and Mabel had gotten Dewie into the closet. So I hung up and worried for five minutes and called back. Sarah said everyone was OK. They were in the closet and she wanted a flashlight because the power had gone out. I told her where to find a flashlight and in a few seconds she started laughing. I asked what was going on and Sarah said, "Mom's laughing at us. When I turned on the flashlight, there she was just laughing. She thinks Mabel and I are funny with all our commotion."
So Dewie is not a worrier. She leaves that to the rest of us and she picks up our slack in the laughing department.
Dewie loves people. Then she gets tired. From her Mom, she inherited a penchant for brusque good-byes...
We were at the ALS Association support group meeting and it was over. People were lingering and visiting and the new director of the North Texas Chapter came over to say hello to us. She said she had seen us using the "alphabet board" and was intrigued by it. I was eager to show it off and so I picked it up and said we could demonstrate if Dewie wanted to say something, which she indicated that she did. So we spelled out Dewie's message, "L..e..t..s..G..o.", she said. "That's how it works.", I explained as we left the meeting.
Recently, Forrest and Feather were visiting and it was lunch time. Everyone was in the kitchen and I drove Dewie's wheelchair into the kitchen where she could be a part of the commotion. Lots of loud talking. Soon I noticed Mabel had taken Dewie back to the living room, so we all went in and joined her again, talking away. Dewie indicated she wanted to say something, so I picked up the board.
She spelled, "W..h..y..d..o..y..o..u..t..h..i..n..k..I..c..a..m..e..b..a..c..k..i..n..h..e..r..e?" Surprised that our conversation wasn't scintillating, we left her in peace.
I never know what to expect when I pick up the board.
-Pete
