Oct 1st a year ago was when I first heard those dreadful words, “Curt has dementia, most likely Early Onset Alzheimer’s.”
I had known in my heart for some time that something was wrong with my dear husband, I had basically come to the conclusion on my own that he had Alzheimer’s. But when the doctor took my intuition and made it a reality….the words hit hard. I cried most of the way home from the doctor’s office, overwhelmed for our now unknown, unplanned and unpredictable future.
We hadn’t really formulated a plan on how to tell Tyler and Madi. They knew we had gone to a doctor to get results for the 5 hour memory testing Curt had endured. They saw my tear stained face and immediately wanted to know what was going on. We sat down with them and the words pretty much just spilled out. So unplanned……so unlike me. We cried a bit, we prayed a lot and I ended up sleeping with Madi in her room for about a week as she worked through the emotions of now having a dad with Alzheimer’s.
But with in the week we were doing normal things again….we had to. Curt was being a “cheerleader” for a student on Daddy/Daughter night since her dad couldn’t be there. Tyler was finishing baseball season and gearing up for basketball season and Madi had a big cross country meet. We are a busy family with two busy teens. We are just now a busy family with Alzheimer’s thrown into the mix.
Life goes on.
And just as it is with this post. I actually started writing it 2 weeks ago. But life got really hectic and busy. Included in that was a long 8-10 hour drive to North Carolina for a weekend baseball tournament where I looked at too much of this;
Life goes on
I reflect and remember.
For weeks after Curt was diagnosed I constantly pondered and thought back over the last several years.
Yes, there were lots of signs, foreshadowing of what was to come. In hindsight there were so many indications of a storm brewing in Curt’s brain. The time he couldn’t put a simple swing together 3 years ago, or the trouble he had putting our tent up when we went camping in 2009, the sudden loss of interest in his hiking passion, the late payment charges on bills, his apathy. It all made sense now.
But…Life goes on
But Life goes on with such a different perspective now.
The little acts of kindness to our family mean so much and are never overlooked. Some random sweetheart of a person sticks a delicious box Wilbur Buds in my school mailbox every once in awhile. Such a little thing, but a big thing to me!
Family and their supports means the world to us!
Friends and even strangers who care for us, pray for us and help out. While I was away in North Carolina last weekend a group of men from a local church came to cut down a huge, dead tree near our house. I came home amazed to find a huge, empty gap where the tree once stood. We were surprised and blessed to see the SHAPE of the stump that was left behind. This stump will long serve as a reminder of the LOVE of Christ shown by this group of men.
Yes life goes on for all of us. But we now carry a different perspective on this journey. We are blessed in many ways by so many of you. But most of all we have a greater understanding of the depth and power of the LOVE of Christ. His care for us, His provision.
We are changed, Yes Life goes on…..but we walk it differently so much more aware of the presence of Christ which reveals many of His presents.
‘So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” – Isaiah 41:10
Yes we are changed! Thank you dear friends for your prayers and love for our family!
Life goes on and we are not dismayed, shaken some, but not dismayed. God’s strength is what sustains us!
