sometimes when I walk to my Moms house for morning coffee, three doors down, Jack greets me with a grin
and a story about the porch lizards and yard birds.
We sit for a moment and talk about the same story
we did the day before. {Lizard mating habits and bird territories}. After all, he is the "Critter Whisperer".
He talks gently and speaks softly to the local mosquitoes
and annoying no-see-ems.
but this particular morning he had a scowl. He was kinda pissed. My silly early morning antics did not amuse him.He declared that the next door neighbors were operating a Whore House. Four women live there.They had too many cars illegally parked.
Truth is, a young adorable-hardworking-engaged-to-be-married-couple live there. He is good friends and very social with them.
But not this day.
I tried to tell him that it is NOT a whorehouse, but friendly neighbors who mow their lawn, pay taxes and plan
to have children and build the white picket fence life .
He scorned them, saying that in his day when a man and woman lived together they were man and wife.
I reminded him that he LIVED with my Mom and LOVED her 10 years before they married. He did not remember that part of his life story.
Alzheimers is a confusing disease.
He was mad at me for the next few hours.
We choose to love, laugh and carry on.
Everyday, every hour is a brand new adventure.
Most days are familiar....but the whorehouse situation next door was a hard pill to swallow.
and the pills will become larger and harder to swallow...
as time goes by.
11 comments:
Love and light and strength for all of you.
Xoxo
He sounds like quite a character.
this was a beautiful post. Lots of love to all of you today dear friend.. we're gonna be neighbors in Oct! OMG... pinch me. xo love bonitarose
It's wonderful that you are all there to love and support him when he is with you and not! Nothing more he can ask for. I understand. I am living this too with my mother.
The stories can be funny, we have a camper van on our drive the neighbour's live-in mum who suffers too worries that we live in the van through the winter, 'that we'll catch our death of cold', it's hard at times I know!
Hugs x
wow. beautiful way with words, heart piercing the way you capture the experience.
What a gift you are giving him...and your mom...for being there, taking the pills as they come.
love you for this. Not many would/could give this gift.
x..x
So beautifully written...heartbreak, love and acceptance...just beautiful. You are an example of greatness.
♥♥♥
You made this experience into something enjoyable to read; I don't know much about alzheimer's but from reading accounts in books, and imagine it must be hard, full of many fine lines that call for light treading.
It's a horrible disease that robs us of our loved ones. Dad is slipping away a little more all the time (we try to lighten the load by saying he's having a "loopy" day, which is descriptive but deceptive all at the same time.) "The long goodbye," it's called. That's grimly appropriate, too.
Good luck to all of you!
every day is a new day, except now with alzheimers we know that every hour…actually every minute, is "a new day" and there are so many tough pills to swallow.
we are watching the disease progress right before our eyes and it's painful, yet we try to live in her world when we are with her and know that she's been gone now for quite some time.
but, she makes us laugh while we deeply wonder what she's thinking, based on all the strange and out of context things she says and then tears fill our eyes as we remember what was….
xoxox
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