Tuesday, March 26, 2024
Through the Years Birthday pictures
Friday, March 15, 2024
Featured in The Top 80 Dementia Blogs
I am surprised and grateful. My blog, this very one, "I'll Always Remember" has been selected as one of the top Dementia/Alzheimer's blogs featured on the Internet.
WOW! WOW! WOW!
Anuj Agarwal, the Founder of Feedspot, said: “I personally give you a high-five and want to thank you for your contribution to this world. This is the most comprehensive list of Top 80 Dementia Blogs on the internet and I'm honored to have you as part of this!
I know many caregivers, and we all are looking for simple solutions to a few of our caregiving needs. Now, we can find answers and inspiration for the tasks ahead in this extensive catalog from Feedspot.
You might be surprised at what people ask...such things as this: "What did you do to keep him from driving?" Answers came like, "Hide the keys." Or how about this one, "Unplug wires and tell him the car won't start." Sometimes we want to know if a certain medication works with their loved one. Or we ask if yelling is normal. When did your loved one forget how to read?
We needed a comprehensive catalog, and this is it! Feedspot! Click on the link at the bottom of this post and become a follower. I'm excited. This is my go-to place.
I started this blog several years ago with the idea of helping others on this dismal journey. Ours is a bit unusual. We take care of our daughter. Most daughters take care of their parents. It is backward and confusing.
Thursday, February 29, 2024
Shelley's March Birthday
Shelley
arrived in March two days after her dad’s birthday.
At the time,
we lived in a small rural Texas area in a parsonage. A church furnished preachers with a house
situated next to the church back in those days. As a young minister and wife
expecting a baby, we came to serve this sweet congregation.
Along with
three churches, this little community had a post office, a general store, a gasoline
station, and a beauty salon.
The paved,
asphalt highway in front of our house enjoyed the distinction of being the primary
road to travel, but a few of our flock lived off the main thoroughfare. Jarring, gravel offshoots
met paved highway, and they drove on these rocky roads.
As the date
approached for Shelley’s birth, I asked people to take me over these bumpy trails. I had
heard such jaunts would make a baby come faster.
God knew my
idea wasn’t a good one, and He waited an extra two days to allow Shelley’s
entrance. She required time to mature a bit more. Even two days failed to be
enough.
She was too tiny
at a full maturity date and had to stay in the NICU. The nurses later told me
they didn’t think she would make it, but with God’s help, she did. I nicknamed
her Tiny Tuffy. She remains a petite person.
After ten days, we brought her home from the hospital. Although not considered a preemie, she required constant care. The doctor prescribed feeding her every two hours. Shelley didn’t eat much at the time, so she’d intake a small amount and go back to sleep. That meant I fed her every hour. I woke up one night, sitting in a rocker, with the bottle’s nipple stuck to her forehead. We both had been asleep.
When a healthy baby enters the parent’s world, its mom and dad never imagine that child growing up and needing parental care again. After a few months, Shelley grew healthy and became an optimistic, fun-loving person. Even after dementia hit her, she remained positive. The attendants in the facility where she lives love her. She's kind and tries to accommodate.
She will not
know her birthday this year. We’ll take cake and gifts. We will make a gala out
of the day, but she will not grasp what is going on. She will understand that
we are in her room because we love her and she is special.
We now have
a son-in-law whose birthday is in March. These three are each two days apart in
March, so we celebrate together.
Paul, Dirk, and Shelley in March 2018