Joann Lagasse:  

Life After a couple of engagements during which I discovered that they weren't the one for me and vice versa, I have settled into a happy single lifestyle. I have missed having a family, but perhaps that's all for the best. I was able to care for my brother when he was dying in 1999 and for the last five years I have cared fir my mother. She has Alzheimers. The first couple of years I was able to continue working but then it came down to the decision of..do I stay home and care for her or place her in a residential care facility? The financial side was pretty much a wash - my take home pay was about the same as the cost of putting her in a care facility. I knew that she would be happier in her own home and I would be able to provide one-on-one care rather than six, eight, ?-to-one. Sometimes it's very hard and distressing, especially now that she isn't always able to speak. I keep reminding myself that she is happier and healthier in her own home and with someone who loves her. She may not know who I am anymore (lately I have been her older sister!) but she knows she is loved. I have had an opportunity to do genealogical research from my home computer. I even found some new living relatives and have enjoyed swapping photos and sharing information with them. I'm really looking forward to actually meeting them. I'm planning to take a trip this year (2005) to visit some of them. I also found some friends thru this site and others. My happ...Expand for more