He Remembered Me!

Uncle Al recognizing Nikki,
"You are beautiful and getting so big, you are a big girl!"

It's been awhile since I visited Uncle Al.  I've felt bad that I haven't been able to get up to New Hampshire to see him.  On Friday last week, we visited him.

He was hallucinating like my mom.  Talking about the children on the roof and all the noise that they were making.  He would smile when he talked about the children.

Uncle Al was reaching out with his hand as though he was grabbing something out of thin air.  A few times we thought he was going to topple out of his chair and land on his face.

Uncle Al and Maryann
He needed background music
for his
hallucinations

Initially, Uncle Al didn't really recognize us.  Maryann and I talked to him, we held his hand and rubbed his back.  He smiled.  We put headphones on his head while his favorite Classical music echoed through his head.  Uncle Al loved the music.

Our little Nikki
She's such a good little girl

Uncle Al had lots of visitors on Friday, most were visitors that we couldn't see. He could see them;  all that really mattered because he was happy.

Nikki sat quietly in a chair with my iPad, pressing the screen, looking at all her pre-school applications that I had downloaded for her.  Maryann and I visited with her dad.  It was a good day.

Nikki was excited that her Grampy recognized her.  She turned to me after Uncle Al remembered his little Princess and said, "He said I was a big girl!  He remembered me!"

 All she could talk about after we left Uncle Al was how he recognized her.  Later she said to her mom, "Mummy, Grampy remembered me!  I want to visit him all the time so that he doesn't forget me again."

Maryann and me
Nikki was our photographer
not bad for a 4 year old!

I'm grateful for Maryann.  She understands the pains of care giving; she has lived it.

Maryann has walked the Care Giver's path before me; she understands and knows what I'm going through.  I really don't know what I'd do without her.

Maryann is my family and I love her.

I also believe that together we are getting through the pains associated with watching our parents fade into the light.  Maryann is a blessing in my life; I am grateful.

Thank God for all Care Givers everywhere; we understand and we really do know how to help fellow care givers who have found themselves stuck in a hole.