Every day Alzheimer's takes a little stronger hold on my beautiful Grandma. She has always been one of the most loving, caring, fun women I have ever known. She has taken care of her family and my Grandpa as he has struggled with Parkinson's disease. I love her so much and am terrified of the day that she no longer knows us as her family.
When the last Dixie Chicks album came out I was listening through it and came upon a song that instantly brought tears to my eyes. It is a tribute to Natalie Maines' grandmother that has Alzheimer's, and has become my song to my Grandma as well. I just wanted to post the lyrics here. If you have someone in your life suffering from this life sucking disease please pay attention to these words. We must be the ones who carry on the lives of these people who cannot carry them on themselves.
Friday, March 28, 2008
For my Grandma
"Silent House"
These walls have eyes
Rows of photographs
And faces like mine
Who do we become
Without knowing where we started from
It's true I'm missing you
As I stand alone in your room
Everyday that will pass you by
Every name that you won't recall
Everything that you made by hand
Everything that you know by heart
And I will try to connect
All the pieces you left
I will carry it on
And let you forget
And I'll remember the years
When your mind was clear
How the laughter and life
Filled up this silent house
One room, two single beds
In the closet hangs
Your favorite dress
The books that you read
Are in scattered piles
Of paper shreds
Everything that you made by hand
Everything that you know by heart
And I will try to connect
All the pieces you left
I will carry it on
And let you forget
And I'll remember the years
When your mind was clear
How the laughter and life
Filled up this silent house
Silent house
In the garden off the living room
A chill fills the air
And the lilies bloom
And I will try to connect
All the pieces you left
I will carry it on
And let you forget
And I'll remember the years
When your mind was clear
How the laughter and life
Filled up this
And I will try to connect
All the pieces you left
I will carry it on
And let you forget
And I'll remember the years
When your mind was clear
How the laughter and life
Filled up this silent house
Silent house
Posted by Loni at 10:39 AM
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2 comments:
Oh Loni, how sad. I hate that this is something incurable. I can't even imagine not remembering my life and all that has happened.
(((Hugs)))
We have such wonderful memories of Grandma, and Grandpa. It is so hard to see what time and their illness have done to their bodies and minds. We just have to remember how they were, and love them how they are. I wish we were closer so that we could visit them more, but I am so thankful for the emails that get sent around so that I can keep up with what's going on with them. Even though she can't remember some of the good times, we can and we can share them with her, remind her that we love her (and grandpa). That doesn't mean it's easy to visit them...it's so hard that she doesn't remember where I live, just that I'm the only one who moved away :o(...
My favorite memory of grandma is making Christmas cookies, and dusting our faces with flour...ok, we kind of dusted the entire kitchen in flour. Also, I got to help her die the Easter eggs a few years in a row. Those were fun times. What are some of your favorite memories?
Love ya-Andie
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