FAMILY ALBUM

My mom's younger brother past away several years ago from Alzheimer's disease.
My Uncle Alvin did not know who anyone was and my mom at the time became so upset when she saw him. Mom would say that he just sat there and said nothing and didn't know who anyone was.

My Cousin Richard called me several weeks ago to tell me that his wife had passed away. I tried to tell my mom that her brother's son called me and that he sent his love to her. My mom replied, " I kind of remember who he is I just cannot remember his face.

Her only brother's son has disappeared from my mom's memory.  Just like so many other family members and friends that have been swept away from her, like a storm that has hit our shores only to leave it's mark and damage behind. .

FAMILY ALBUM

Last summer while visiting my mom, my brother brings into the room old pictures that he found in a dresser draw for Logan and me to look at.  Logan has never seen these pictures and some of them I have not seen either, or at least I do not recall them.  Reminiscing and seeing how young we all looked, including me, left me with a feeling of sentimentality.  I saw pictures of my parents and their wedding and swore that it was not my mom.  Even showing it to her since this picture was big enough for her to see, she agreed that she never looked like that.  I saw pictures of my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins as young children.  Some of my cousins Logan knew and some he has never met.   We looked at pictures of my grandparents that he never had the opportunity to know. Logan is named after my mom’s father whose name was Louis, although he was called Louie.

My mom had much difficulty in seeing most of the pictures because of her macular degeneration.  While we were looking at the pictures my mom kept repeating that my dad died too young. She said how he held her hand so tight while he laid for seven months in the bed at the nursing home.  She told us that she told him not to worry that he would be okay, although she knew differently.  These memories came to her again, while we looked back at all the pictures of our family from a very long time ago.

 We all want to live to a ripe old age since the alternative we know is death.  Yet we don’t get to decide how our lives will end, or how long we will live to, or in what health conditions we may inherit.  I know that we all hope not to put our children through, what we may have experienced while our parents were reaching their end.  How many of us take our lives for granted not fully appreciating that each day is truly a gift?  I know that I do not always think that way and can certainly take my life for granted.  So for me and for you please enjoy, smile and I wish all of you a very special day.