My dad is suffering from senile dementia and it is a downhill ride for him as far as his physical and mental state is concerned.
It is a sad and depressing condition as we, the next of kin, observe this gradual slide in his quality of life before the inevitable end of a loved one.
The only thing I can do now for him is to make his final days as comfortable as possible and to visit him as frequently as I can (he's in a nursing home).
This poem speaks to me of a great love a man has for his woman even though in her senile condition, she does not know the right from the left.
This is an inspiring poem of love that endures between a couple.
Enjoy the story and the pictures!
Rodney
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The Rain
It was a busy
morning, about 8:30, when an elderly
gentleman in his 80's arrived to have
stitches removed from his thumb.
He said he was in a hurry as he had an
appointment at 9:00 am.
I took his vital
signs and had him take a seat,
knowing it would be over an hour
before someone
would to able to see him.
I saw him looking at his watch and
decided, since I
was not busy with another patient,
I would evaluate his wound.
On exam, it was
well healed, so I talked to one of the
doctors, got the needed supplies to
remove his sutures and redress his wound.
While taking care of
his wound, I asked him if he
had another doctor's appointment
this morning, as
he was in such a hurry.
The gentleman told me no, that he
needed to go to
the nursing home to eat breakfast
with his wife. I inquired as to her
health.
He told me that she had been there
for a while and that she
was a victim of Alzheimer's Disease.
As we
talked, I asked if she would be
upset if he was a bit late.
He
replied that she no longer knew
who he was, that she had not
recognized him in
five years now.
I was surprised, and asked him,
'And you still go every
morning, even though she
doesn't know who you are?'
He smiled as he
patted my hand and said,
'She doesn't
know me, but I still know who she is.'
I had to hold back
tears as he left, I had goose bumps
on my arm, and thought,
'That is
the kind of love I want in my life.'
True love is
neither physical, nor romantic.
True love is an
acceptance of all that is,
has been, will be, and will not
be.
With all the jokes
and fun that are in e-mails,
sometimes there is one that comes
along that has an
important message..
This one I thought I could share with you.
The
happiest people don't necessarily
have the best of everything;
they just make
the best of everything they have.
I hope you share this with someone you
care about. I just did…
'Life isn't about
how to survive the storm,
But how to dance
in the rain.'
We are all getting Older
Tomorrow may be our turn.
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