It had been a bittersweet decision to even consider moving her mother into the residence. But with her father’s death had come a lot of changes, some she was not equipped to handle on her own. Her mother was still mentally okay, for the most part, but she was so riddled with grief that she didn’t bother taking care of herself. Deven was having to call around the clock, sometimes making two and three trips to visit just to make sure she was eating and bathing. Kennedy wasn’t as active with that responsibility as she would have liked so, as the eldest, Deven took it upon herself to handle it as best she could.

When the miles (and time) became too much, Deven decided it was better to sell the house and move Mom in with her. Big mistake. Mom’s condition seemed to deteriorate overnight. Her doctors attributed it to a culture shock; first losing her husband and then, losing that last piece of him that was familiar, the house. It was becoming too demanding trying to handle caring for her mother while working the rotational shifts at the hospital. Then, Iris wandered off in the middle of the night and a neighbor found her walking aimlessly in the courtyard in forty-degree weather with only a nightgown. That solidified that she needed around-the-clock care.

And true to its name, Blessed Haven had been exactly that, a blessing. Thank God for the money from the sale of the house and her dad’s lucrative savings and life insurance policies, because it was certainly more than Deven could afford on her nurse’s salary.

Deven steered down the cobble-stoned drive towards the side of the house where there was designated visitor parking. With it being Sunday, the lot was packed with cars, indicative of the family members taking advantage of the beautiful day. A look around showed just that, sprinkles of people with their matriarchs or patriarchs taking strolls over the expanse of landscaped grounds. Down by the lake, two men sat in wheelchairs with a chessboard propped on a foldout table between them while their aides stood nearby, chatting and gossiping.

Deven lifted a hand in greeting to a few seniors who sat rocking on the porch. She would make sure to bring her mother outside if she was feeling up to it. It was something about the air here that induced the tranquility.