Try not to forget the simple – the majestic – the pure
My wife and I recently learned, though we had very strong suspicions before, that Beth’s dad has Alzheimer’s. He’s forgetting everything now. Not just things mundane, but things that I’m pretty sure he desperately would never want to forget.
David McGregor is his name. You’ll forget it, of course, in just a matter of hours. His life was exemplary up until now by most standards. Farm boy. World War II navigator in the Pacific. Shot at. Emotionally tried. Grown up before the full bloom of youth had passed. Husband. Father. Engineer. Farmer. Christian. Words that we only really come to know by watching men like him live their lives. Men we only come to know by watching them fail, sin, prosper, behave like saints and embrace life.
So I was musing this Sunday. Wondering what I’ve forgotten, who I’ve forgotten.
The disease we call Alzheimer’s will no longer be a stranger to either Beth or myself, just as other diseases are no longer strangers in your own homes, families and friends. Amongst the Bloodhound men and women are these very same quiet bearers of either a disease or the weight of sharing that disease with a loved one.
So I was musing today, this Sunday, and I wanted to stop for a short time to let all of you, anyone reading who loves and bears and carries a burden know….
I won’t forget. Not on this Sunday morning coming down…..
Greg Swann says:
Very sad and very beautiful, Don.
July 13, 2009 — 6:19 am
Sean Purcell says:
Words that we only really come to know by watching men like him live their lives
Damn. That says it all right there. Great post on a tough subject Don.
BTW, this song always gets to me (I guess I recognize the sentiments from back in my drinking days). Did you know it was written by Kris Kristofferson? Surprised me when I found out.
Thanks for sharing your Sunday with us.
July 13, 2009 — 12:31 pm
Matt says:
It’s a very sad disease and tough to face.
July 13, 2009 — 1:01 pm
Don Reedy says:
Greg and Matt…thanks so much for lending an ear. It helps.
Sean….yes, I sort of grew up with Kris Kristofferson as well. Here’s a video of them doing this song together
July 13, 2009 — 2:01 pm
SuiteSusan says:
Hi Don, I’m so sorry for what you and your family are going through but how wonderful that you realized the opportunity to remember. So many people let these moments pass them by. Although this is a tough time for you right now, I’m sure you have inspired many people to share their thoughts and feelings with loved ones while they can. Thank you, what a gift. Brewer Caldwell
July 13, 2009 — 3:08 pm
Kristal Kraft says:
Don, I’m so sorry to hear this sad news. It is troubling to think we of this modern age can’t figure out how to protect everyone from this miserable malfunction.
July 13, 2009 — 10:30 pm
Geno Petro says:
Dear Friend,
Beth’s dad is now truly in the present. Your family’s memories of him are the only past he needs now. Both ‘very sad and very beautiful,’ indeed.
G.
July 14, 2009 — 7:51 pm
Jim Gilbert says:
Touching post. I served as a pastor for years, and had the privilege of helping others to face difficulties like this one. I learned a lot through the process also. May our Lord bless you and your wife with His grace and strength in the days ahead. The words of the old gospel song still have meaning, “We will understand it better by and by …”
July 15, 2009 — 10:07 am
Betty Saenz says:
I was so sorry to hear about the Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Though we are busy REALTORs, we & our families are still affected by the same diseases other people are. My degrees in Mental Health and Psychology help me to understand Alzheimer’s a little better. Both my father and my grandmother suffered from dementia before their deaths.
July 15, 2009 — 7:05 pm
Don Reedy says:
Thank you all so much for reaching out to touch us with your love and compassion.
You have helped us focus in the present, so that we have the strength to trust in the Lord, and keep our friends and family close in hopes that we will indeed “understand it by and by….”
July 15, 2009 — 7:48 pm