captboat and trackmom (and everybody else, too : )

Yes, funny and sad at the same time, like so much of life...and very true-to-life for me.

As my aunt sank deeper into dementia, first she forgot my name but remembered I was her niece. Then she forgot that relationship and I became her "friend." My older siblings and I chuckled about it, especially as our aunt began to forget my other siblings' names, too, and more of us became "friends."

It was nice, in a weird way, to become her friend instead of her niece, because you can choose your friends while you are stuck with whatever family you get! And my Aunt Mitzi chose me!

But my husband-- who drove us all over the place-- Aunt Mitzi called him an "Irish thug" when he grew a beard!

We are Irish-American. "Mitzi" is her nickname for "Mary." I have 7 female relatives named "Mary." Wait, maybe 8-- haha. Oh no, I just thought of another one, so we're at 9. Was it George Foreman who named all of his kids "George"? Was he Irish, too?

Interestingly, my aunt never forgot my oldest brother's name. I am the youngest of 6. I think it was an instance of forgetting more recent and retaining oldest memories. I must have been a good little kid, I guess, since I rated "friend" later.

Have a good day, everyone! How about a laugh? THANKS!