I want to relate my experiences of taking care of people with Alzheimer. Especially one.
Right now I am with an 89 yr old woman (she will kick my butt ... two months she will be 90) that is just one of the sweetest ladies you could meet. And when I say "Lady". She is.
She has been round these parts all of her life. She has family all up and down the hills and dales. And the corn and the tobacco fields as well. Oh and cotton.
This lady was born and bred in these parts. Went to the old Triune Academy, bought a grocery store in College Grove, dated her husband for 9 yrs before marrying him for Petes sake. This is one grand lady.
I won't tell you her name because I respect her privacy.
But this woman is .. WOW. The stories I can coax out of her when her mind is clear.. just blows my mind. She went to ice cream socials with her first cousin every chance they got. They hung out together and got into all kinds of mischief. Hay rides, Church revivals, Sunday church socials.. didn't matter if they had an invite there or not.
This wonderful lady remembered everyone's birthday and had a card with a 5 dollar bill that many! to this day still have in their possession. She has been going to the same hair dresser for over 25 yrs now. Before that? she went to one hair dresser for 20 yrs.!
When you go into town with her... Everyone stops to say "Hi Miss M..." How are you" This woman was a corner stone for lives that have come and gone.
She has a delightful daughter and 3 "not to shabby Grandsons".
This woman is special and it pours out of her with her love for everyone she meets.
It doesn't matter that now with her Alzheimer she doesn't "Quite" know who you are. This woman's love for her friends and past customers and neighbors is unending!.
She thinks of and is concerned about each and every person she comes into contact with.
This rare quality is a time gone by. A time of making sure your neighbors had help when the barn burned down. A time when the kids next street over .. even when Daddy wasn't making the money to feed the kids. those kids were fed.
I feel privileged to have her in my life.