Friday 3 December 2010

Ahhh

The other day, my boss gave me a wee stress ball in the shape of a brain.  We made a few jokes about how good it would be because now we had an extra brain and no matter how bad it was, we had backup. I would love to find it and take a photo for you, but I cannot find it here in my study.  The universe has a weird sense of humour.  

The brain is from an Alzheimer's fund raiser that my boss went to.  The cause has great personal meaning to her.  The brains are a wee bit of silly because sometimes when you are involved in Alzheimer's, all you have is bits of laughter in the corners.

Mr. Needles mother has it. He was back home to take his dad hunting last week, and to celebrate her birthday.  Over the last year and a half, she has been in a seniors home, and we are all glad that she has full time care.   She has slipped ever farther from us.  

Alzheimer's mean you leave long before your body does.  The day my mother in law passes will only be the day her body dies, her soul has long preceded her.

And yet there are times when she glances and you see everything she was and will always be, inside her, and you know she is there, all of her, the impish twinkle, her sense of humour, the baking and the boundless energy.  You know she is there and you want to jump and shout for joy and you look again and she is gone.  

The real tragedy of Alzheimer's is that we remain and remember and miss her.

2 comments:

Sandra said...

I have two aunts with Alzheimer's, and it's very tough on my Mom and her other sister to deal with without humour. We do have fun with it, but it on;y masks the pain we feel. Every now and then there are flashes of recognition, which I believe makes it tougher to deal with, becasue maybe she's not really fone, you know. But she is. They both are, and it's hard.

Brendaknits said...

Alzheimer is such a rough disease.
It must be hard for your husband.