Memories……
Lingering Joys- a poem-author unknown
The tide recedes, but leaves behind bright seashells on the sand.
The sun goes down, but gentle warmth still lingers in the land,
The music stops, and yet it echoes on in sweet refrains…
For every joy that passes, something beautiful remains.
Not to many people know this but one of my greatest fears is losing my memory, not knowing who I love or being able to recognize my own children, it literally scares the hell out of me. One of the things that really made this a clear fact in my life was my Grandmothers passing, now she was not diagnosed with Alzheimer’s but she was found to have inoperable brain tumors so even if they had diagnosed her she passed so quickly after her memory loss that I don’t see what the point would have been. What broke my heart was the last couple times I went to see her and a visitors book had been placed by her bed so you would know who she had seen recently, towards the end you could say something like “Oh Kay came to see you yesterday.” and she would say no it was someone else, she never knew I came to see her, and to this day that breaks my heart.
Memories are really sometimes all we have left during the end, people who have come and gone, places that were special, events only to be replayed in ones own mind are tragic things to lose. Alzheimer’s is a thief of the last threads that tether us home, it steals it from the minds of people each and every day. I don’t know all the facts about this horrible disease, I know they are doing more studies on the cause and finding ways to slow down the progression, but like so many other things theres just no definitive cure or answer yet.
There is a way for us all to help, Memory Walk from the Alzheimer’s Association are 2-3 mile walks all over the country, they are usually held in the Fall and they help to generate funds to help in the study to end this horrible disease. Alzheimer’s Memory Walk is the nation’s largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer care, support and research, it calls on volunteers of any age to become champions in the fight against Alzheimer’s. There are walks in more than 600 communities.
Memory Walk is a new campaign, the first of its kind from the Alzheimer’s Association, its aim is to teach Americans and promote action in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease. The champions campaign challenges five million Americans to become a champion, they want one for every person currently living with the disease to fight against Alzheimer’s.
