Havin a Blast at the Burial...Wish you were here...

I remember the day I knew Mom had Alzheimer's for real.     Really had it.

The day we buried her sister, Ruth Evelyn, Mom and Aunt Chrick were standing in line at the casket, whooping it up and having a big time with all the family and friends who had come to pay their respects. There was food, music, family and friends. I mean what else could you possibly ask for? The service was beautiful and her and Aunt Chrick (who also has Alzheimer's) had a ball.

When we got in the car to go to the cemetery Mom said, "What a wonderful day this has been, good food and good fellowship. I am so thankful. I wish Mother and Daddy could be here. They would have loved this." We buried her parents years ago. As we pulled up at the gravesite for the burial, Mom said, "And a picnic too! I just can't believe how wonderful this all is!"

On that particular day, I knew that we were embarking on a new adventure....A Detour if you will. And I decided to embrace the disease and not let it beat me.  I decided to look at this disease as my Mom always looked at everything in life …with a song in my heart and a smile on my face. 

My biggest battle is trying to understand the mechanics of this disease. I have finally understood, I do not need to know the mechanics. I don't need to know why. I don't need to know how. If Mom had a broken leg, I would not expect her to run. If she was blind, I would not expect her to read. Since she's crazy, why should I expect her to be sane? Alzheimer's has no props, like glasses, hearing aids, crutches, etc. It's unspoken and unseen, so it takes special skills to deal with it.

I hope I can continue to develop these skills. I am learning as I go, but, we are going to make a party of it. Therefore we are on a Detour from Sanity and so far I have enjoyed the trip. I'm living in a sitcom with no commercial breaks!