People are the Same

We all know that people are the same wherever you go.  So say Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder.

Since Dad has been in assisted living I have had the opportunity to visit him regularly and see a lot of different people.  Most of them are older than me.  I asked Mom a few years ago what it felt like to turn 80.  She said it didn't feel like anything.  She didn't feel like she was 80, she just was.  Even though Dad is now 83 I can tell that he feels like he's still young, but with a body that doesn't quite work like it once did.  Finally I remember Mom telling me that when she moved Grandpa and Grandma, her parents, into a nursing home Grandpa said he didn't want to be around all those old people.  He was over 90 at the time, older than all those old people.

I took Dad to lunch the other day.  He decided to sit at a table that was already occupied by several ladies.  Everyone at the table, including Dad, seemed to be dressed and groomed much like they would have been 30 years ago when they weren't so old.  Most of the ladies had makeup on that didn't hide much of their age.  These are normal people.  They lived for a while before I was born but they don't feel old.

I remember being in Elders Quorum meetings a few years ago.  In the Church most of the active men are ordained Elders when they are 18 or 19 or when they have been active members for at least a few months.  I went to an activity which was somewhat athletic and after being there a while I realized that I was 10 years older than the next oldest person.  I hadn't even thought about it.  I have never been athletic so I just thought that was the reason I was so much more out of shape than everyone else.  In quorum meetings on Sunday we had a teacher who was 10 years older than me and then me and then everyone else was more than 10 years younger than me.  I was offered an opportunity to start meeting with the High Priests, which I did.  High Priests tend to be older.

In observing people throughout my life I have found that most children are little people waiting to understand enough to be adults and adults often have many of the same attributes and habits they had when they were little.  Age does not seem to have a large effect on the way we think, but mostly on the way we act out what we think.  I look at old people, the way they talk, the way they act and the look in their eyes.  They are little children still at play but in a grown up world. 

Dad has that playful look in his eyes, maybe a little extra.  I think that's why I feel good when someone compares me to him.

Bedtime for Dad

I guess I decided not to wait a week to post again.  I just thought I should introduce another cast member, my Dad:

This is my Dad, Clifford Mathias.  He was born in 1930 in Rollingstone, Minnesota.  He and Mom were married in 1952 in Winona, Minnesota, and shortly thereafter joined the Mormon Church.  My Mom passed away about 6 months ago and Dad has been alone.

Until recently he was living alone at home and we have been taking care of him.  Because of Parkinson's Disease he has some difficulty walking, talking and balancing.  We recently moved him to an apartment with assisted living.  We wanted him to be taken care of and were not able to provide the level of support he needed, especially after he broke his left arm in early January.

The day we moved him in to the apartment we got him settled in and the staff helped him get ready for bed.  I happened to be there and he told them they didn't need to put him to bed because I could do it.  From that day forward I have been going every night to tuck him in.  I get there between 9:00 and 9:30 at night and stay until he decides to go to bed, between 10:00 and 10:30.  I sit up with him and watch TV, usually news.

One night last week as I was helping him to bed he looked up at me and said, "I used to tuck you in at night." I looked at him and just smiled and he smiled back.

Dad's arm is getting better now.  He can probably get himself to bed now, or will be able to pretty soon.  I have no plans to stop coming.  Last night as I was tucking him in he smiled at me as if to show that he understood that I didn't have to do this anymore but was choosing to do it anyway.  I smiled back to let him know I wasn't planning to stop.

Hello to the open world out there!  It seems like most of the people I know have a blog already.  As usual I am jumping on the bandwagon late.  I can't imagine what I could possibly say that will mean anything to anyone, but I'm going to try anyway.

I named the blog The Cat and Mouse House because of the obvious connection to the cartoon characters Tom and Jerry.  I, Tom, will most likely be the only one posting, at least to begin with.  I will no doubt include the most lovely JeriAnn in a lot of my posts.  I intend for this blog to be about us and the life we live together.

The first thing to do is introduce the players.  There are just the two of us.  I, Tom, am the one on the left and JeriAnn is the one on the right.  This picture was taken in July 2013.  I was born in 1970 in Golden Valley, Minnesota.  JeriAnn was born in 1972 in Provo, Utah, along with a twin, TeriAnn, who died as an infant. We were married on June 17, 1995, in at the St. George, Utah, Temple.  Although we have a strong desire to be parents we have not been able to do so.  I am the youngest of 6 and have 11 nephews and 15 nieces. JeriAnn is tied for the youngest of 6 in her family and has 5 nephews and 2 nieces that we see regularly and a few others we don't see regularly (I'm not sure how many).

We live in Robbinsdale, Minnesota, which is a suburb of Minneapolis.  In March of 2012 we purchased a home here after renting from my parents for many years.  From 2007-2010 I was on the City Council here. This is the town where I grew up and I think it will be where we grow old together.

I am also a Mormon, the religion I was raised in, which my parents were baptized into in September of 1952.  I served a mission for the Church from July 1989-July 1991 in the state of Virginia.  Serving as a missionary was one of the greatest experiences of my life.  I developed a deeper understanding of the gospel and a stronger faith.  Over the years JeriAnn and I have served in many positions in the church.  I am currently the Building AV Specialist and High Priest Group 2nd Assistant.  JeriAnn is serving as a Librarian and as Bulletin Typist.

I am also involved with Toastmasters, an organization the teaches Leadership and Communication skills.  I have been in Toastmasters since April 1996 and I am currently Vice President Membership at one club and Vice President Public Relations at another.  I am also serving as an Ambassador for the organization, promoting a new educational program that is being rolled out sometime in 2014.

I hope to post interesting bits of our life together and expect to post around once a week if I remember to.