Bits and Pieces

I recently watched a documentary on songwriters. I could relate to jotting down words on scrap pieces of paper. Bits and pieces of thoughts I don't want to forget. I often say to myself, "That would make a good song title."

The silly thing is I don't write music or even sing. But a lot of what I write does tell a story.

That's how my book, I Called Her Nan, came to life, through the bits and pieces of memories, lessons, and love. It starts with a poem written over 24 years ago.

When I was done writing the book, the person who helped me publish it said, "Now print it out, and lay the pages on the floor. Start cutting some of the stories, pages, and paragraphs and move them around. You'll see that they may fit better in different places." He was right.

One of the first things I moved was the poem that described my mother-in-law. Instead of being at the end of the book, I moved it to the beginning. Right where it belonged.

As I reminisce about my book laying on the floor, and the pages in bits and pieces, it made me think about my mom with Dementia, and how her thoughts come out that way. Her memories of the past get moved to the front of her mind, and the present is already forgotten, for there's no sequence of events. I can't quite tell if her morning tears are from the past or due to not remembering. She describes it as scary and, at other times, says it's embarrassing.

I've decided to take my memories of Mom... all the bits and pieces, and rearrange them in my heart to create a song. As I start to throw out the scraps that aren't important any longer, I can hear a melody of memories. All the bits and pieces ended up right where they belong.

Imagine that.

~Cathy