
When the Window Closes
Jennifer Sullivan
I was never my mom's favorite child. It was always her and my sister.
When I was old enough to be on my own, I left without looking back. I made my own way in the world, had a family and built a beautiful life. But a trip to the emergency room in...
Location:
United States
Description:
I was never my mom's favorite child. It was always her and my sister. When I was old enough to be on my own, I left without looking back. I made my own way in the world, had a family and built a beautiful life. But a trip to the emergency room in 2013 changed everything. My mom had dementia, and I was tasked with taking care of her, all by myself. I learned everything I could about grief in an effort to prepare for her to die. I had to face my own resentments, fears, and anger as I accepted my caregiver role so I could love my mom while she was alive and dying. Even at the end, when I was just a nice lady to came to visit her, I was ready, no matter how many years she had left. I knew I'd be by her side and hold her hand as she left this earth. But nothing I did prepared me for what actually happened. All my best-laid plans crumbled around me as I had to use everything I'd learned to make it through the worst thing I could never have imagined. When the Window Closes is a profoundly personal and emotional narrative centered around the author's six-year journey as a caregiver for her mother, who had Alzheimer's disease. The book weaves back and forth between past events and the present caregiving moments, illustrating her complicated and trying relationship with her mother and how the burden of caregiving evolved into a great gift of unconditional love and acceptance. Throughout the memoir, the author explores the complexities of mother-daughter relationships, family responsibilities, caregiving in the face of adversity, navigating the confusing healthcare system, and grappling with feelings of grief, loss, fear, resentment, and finding peace in letting go. Duration - 7h 44m. Author - Jennifer Sullivan. Narrator - Jennifer Sullivan. Published Date - Monday, 27 January 2025. Copyright - © 2025 Mount Cooper Publishing ©.
Language:
English
Opening Credits
Duration:00:00:18
Dedication
Duration:00:00:24
Prologue
Duration:00:03:37
How Bad Is Dementia, Anyway?
Duration:00:09:13
The People That Made Her
Duration:00:08:33
The Ogre And The Summer of Love
Duration:00:08:15
Life After The Divorce
Duration:00:06:42
The Christmas Crochet Debacle
Duration:00:17:21
And So, It Came To Pass
Duration:00:07:41
When She Blows In
Duration:00:14:00
She's Going To Oregon To Die
Duration:00:04:12
The Nana Has Landed
Duration:00:14:50
Learning To Be A Caregiver
Duration:00:05:30
Chicken Soup For The Caregiver's Soul
Duration:00:08:26
The Grief Cycle
Duration:00:19:43
Anticipating The Loss
Duration:00:08:17
Never Laugh At A Gift Your Mom Gives You
Duration:00:03:32
To Love Someone Who Is Alive And Dying
Duration:00:13:20
Planning For The End Before The End
Duration:00:10:59
The Last Time My Mom And Dad Saw Each Other
Duration:00:07:07
Adventures In Running Away
Duration:00:16:50
The Trouble With The F Word
Duration:00:12:37
Judgment, Fear, And Resentment, Oh My!
Duration:00:15:11
The Best/Worst Thing That Never Happened
Duration:00:07:02
The Forgetting
Duration:00:08:24
The Big Decline Rollercoaster
Duration:00:11:43
Let's Move To Another Motel
Duration:00:08:02
A Month!
Duration:00:06:57
Two Weeks
Duration:00:11:49
Poop Hugs And Poop Pictures
Duration:00:16:19
Inhospitable
Duration:00:04:32
Trips Canceled
Duration:00:14:26
Letting Go Of Lots Of Things
Duration:00:16:57
I Come First
Duration:00:23:03
Taking Care Of Myself - A Little
Duration:00:08:07
Lock Those Moments In Your Memory Bank
Duration:00:04:32
Your Mother Has A Word
Duration:00:09:04
It Could Be Ten Long Years
Duration:00:14:33
The Beginning Of The End
Duration:00:08:39
Do You See A Way Out?
Duration:00:07:45
Be Still And Know
Duration:00:08:03
When Covid Came
Duration:00:13:55
The Best-Laid Plans
Duration:00:13:39
The Wave
Duration:00:10:03
The Why Of It All
Duration:00:09:33
Epilogue
Duration:00:04:36
About The Author
Duration:00:01:29
Acknowledgments
Duration:00:03:57
Ending Credits
Duration:00:00:22