Friday, October 14, 2011

eyebrows

I've inherited many of my mother's physical characteristics: narrow shoulders, wide hips, freckly skin... and her eyebrows. I think shaping my CroMagnon-man eyebrows was the only feminine grooming pointer my Mother ever taught me. 

Whenever I see Mom I give her the once over - I check her out and really look at her. I look for signs of bathing, or lack of bathing. I look for new spots or bruises. I check her nails. I look to see if her glasses need to be washed.  I check her out because I know she doesn't.  In her boredom or anxiety she will sometimes pick at a piece of skin until it's bleeding. Every so often she'll let me get a peek at her torso if I ask to see her stitches.

Yesterday when I was visiting, during our quite time together in her room, we were talking about her friend JT.  Mom and JT went out for lunch and a scenic ride this week. Mom is so blessed to have JT for a friend.

So we're chatting and I'm giving Mom a look over. Something about her face was different. Something just didn't look right. I lean in real close and look.
"Mom, what happened to your eyebrows?"
"There's nothing wrong with my eyebrows."
"Mom, where are your eyebrows?"
"Oh I plucked out all the white ones."
"Oh...ok..." I try not to make any more stupid remarks. Mom has plucked out almost all her eyebrows. She's got day-old stubble where her eyebrows use to be.

You've gotta laugh or you're gonna cry.

3 comments:

Pamela said...

My mother began filling in her eyebrows with pine green eyeliner pencil. I decided to just go with it. There will be tears enough later on

Stacey said...

You're both so right, you have to laugh. My mom is in the beginning-ish stages, but I try to keep both of us laughing as much as I possibly can. It's good for her, and I know I need it. Otherwise I would cry and probably not stop. Thanks for your blog, I really enjoy reading it!

Debbie's Garden said...

Oh my goodness the patience the time that must've taken her to do! Love the pine green eyeliner eyebrows too Panmela.

this weekend I found a purple eyeliner in my Moms bathroom while I was helping her shower. You know, next to the THREE open tubes of toothpaste . . . I just tucked the purple eyeliner down my bra. Maybe she was planning some purple eyebrows.