What is on your mind today?

What are you struggling with?

What can I help encourage you about?

 

My sweet Grandma T is in the early stages of dementia. It is breaking my heart. I spent a lot of time on the phone this weekend with my Grandpa T. It is always so good to talk to him.

Grandpa T just turned 90. His mind is sharp as a tack. He flew P39s in WWII. He loves to play his accordion and piano. His loves Jesus with all his heart. He tells me how much my daddy loves me every time I talk to him. Visiting their home in Corpus Christi is one of my most favorite things. They have lived in that house since before I was born.

 

After throwing myself a pity party about being in Arizona and being far away, I remembered what my sweet friend Jen has taught me. Jen works in hospice. She deals with end of life every day.

Once when we were chatting she told us about one of the things she tells the families of her patients when they are dealing with dementia. She encourages them not to try to correct or force their memory. That only causes frustration, confusion and resentment. Instead, just be loving and gentle and kind and pleasant.

What amazing advice. It seems so obvious. But sometimes you have to practice the obvious to make it stick, huh?

So I strapped on my “boots of courage” {my favorite phrase from my favorite band ~ Midlake} and have made a plan.

I am going to be more faithful about writing letters. I love paper and stationery and mail. I need to be better about writing on a schedule.

I am going to be better about printing out pictures of the kids and mailing them. I am so used to emailing it is easy for me to forget that not everyone checks their email.

I am going to choose to remember the happy times.

I am going to write down memories of her to share with my children.

I will tell them about the kitchen the I loved sitting in and petting their cat.

I will tell them about the drawers filled with Juicy Fruit gum that I was always so excited to find.

 

 

I will remind the kids about the birdhouse they sent for Grandma and Grandpa’s backyard.

I will remind them about Grandpa T mounting the bird house on a pole to keep the squirrels out.

 

I will tell them about her love of flowers.

I will tell them about her room that was full of African Violets.

I will tell them that she has an award for African Violets named after her.

 

I will allow myself to cry and remind myself to write.

I will allow myself to be sad and remind myself of the beauty of heaven.

I will thank God that her pain will disappear and that I will see her again when it is her turn to go home.

 

Please let me know what I can encourage you about this week.

Thank you for stopping by.

Kate