Memaw's moving day.

Over the last year, it became apparent that my mom needed a change of scenery. Because of her memory loss (brought on thanks to her life-saving dialysis), we realized she needed to find a new home that would provide more security and day-to-day conveniences. Over spring break, Brett and I sat down with my mom, telling her our concerns and suggesting a move. One place that Mom had mentioned years ago as a possible future residence is a Christian retirement community in our area. We made some calls, ran some numbers, and then, on St. Patrick's Day, paid that facility a visit.

We love that all apartments open to an indoor, central corridor. We also love that friendly residents are almost always roaming those halls.

We also love the accessible bathroom with the walk-in shower! It's perfect for Mom.

Even though her new apartment is quite a bit smaller than her old one, Mom really loves this new place.

The kitchenette is small, but because meals are provided in the center's dining room, she won't be cooking anyway! She has a place for her Diet Sprite, so she's good to go.

We used the floorplan to map out where her furniture would go. There was room for her king-sized adjustable bed, her dresser, chest of drawers, couch, lift chair, entertainment center and curio cabinets.

While that's the bulk of her furniture, much of her other "stuff" would not be making the move. That meant frantic packing, sorting, moving, etc. in the two weeks between spring break and her move-in date of April 2. And that was just to clear paths so the movers could get to the furniture. The rest of the clearing out would take many more weeks.

The keepsakes and family photos that wouldn't fit in her new place ended up coming home with me. We also inherited her kitchen table and several bookcases. Several people were the beneficiaries of other items. Mom was delighted to know who ended up with her sewing machine, washer and dryer, and teaching materials.

When the morning of the 2nd arrived, we fed our moving crew a "healthy" breakfast. Then it was off to Memaw's old apartment to get ready for the paid help. The two firefighters we hired were especially efficient, so by mid-afternoon, all of the bulky stuff was in her new apartment.

By dinnertime, the cable lady had come by and I'd managed to load Mom's curio cabinets and entertainment center. With her lift chair and HGTV in place, Mom was in business!

It's been an adjustment for her (and a struggle for us to empty the old apartment), but it's a move that was long overdue. Every time we talk about her new home, Mom has glowing things to say about the place. She loves the food, the residents, the conveniences, the activities. And we love to see her happy.