my grammy suffers from alzheimer's disease. she's only 73. she wasn't officially diagnosed until 2007, but i believe it started long before that. between october of 2000 and april of 2002, her son and both of her parents passed away. i think that's when it really started.
every day it gets worse. first she didn't know any of her grandchildren. then she didn't recognize any of her own children. now she sometimes doesn't remember who my granddad is.
some days are better than others. one day she was cold and when we gave her a blanket, she knew that her mom had made it. then another time she walked into a room, looked straight at my granddad and said, "where's frank?"
if you had asked her the day before he died, i don't think she could have told you who the prophet was. but when President Hinckley passed away and she was told about it, her humble response was "oh no" because she understood what that meant.
in december, my grandparents went to the christmas concert my stake puts on every year. for the song "I Believe in Christ" the congregation and choir sang the first verse, and then only the choir continued on. after the congregation stopped singing and it was just the choir, i leaned over to look at my grammy. she was singing with the choir. my grammy, who doesn't know who i am, remembered and sang the words to "I Believe in Christ."
in Doctrine & Covenants 1:39 it says "For behold, and lo, the Lord is God, and the Spirit beareth record, and the record is true, and the truth abideth forever and ever."
i guess my point in all this is there are things that matter, things that matter less, and things that really don't matter at all. she may not always remember it, but my sweet grandmother believes in Christ- because the the truth abides forever. she has no idea what it meant to me to watch her sing that song, but i'm thankful i was there to see it. and i'm thankful that even though she doesn't know she's doing it, she is still teaching by example.
every day it gets worse. first she didn't know any of her grandchildren. then she didn't recognize any of her own children. now she sometimes doesn't remember who my granddad is.
some days are better than others. one day she was cold and when we gave her a blanket, she knew that her mom had made it. then another time she walked into a room, looked straight at my granddad and said, "where's frank?"
if you had asked her the day before he died, i don't think she could have told you who the prophet was. but when President Hinckley passed away and she was told about it, her humble response was "oh no" because she understood what that meant.
in december, my grandparents went to the christmas concert my stake puts on every year. for the song "I Believe in Christ" the congregation and choir sang the first verse, and then only the choir continued on. after the congregation stopped singing and it was just the choir, i leaned over to look at my grammy. she was singing with the choir. my grammy, who doesn't know who i am, remembered and sang the words to "I Believe in Christ."
in Doctrine & Covenants 1:39 it says "For behold, and lo, the Lord is God, and the Spirit beareth record, and the record is true, and the truth abideth forever and ever."
i guess my point in all this is there are things that matter, things that matter less, and things that really don't matter at all. she may not always remember it, but my sweet grandmother believes in Christ- because the the truth abides forever. she has no idea what it meant to me to watch her sing that song, but i'm thankful i was there to see it. and i'm thankful that even though she doesn't know she's doing it, she is still teaching by example.
the fam at their 50th wedding anniversary party, Nov 2008.
(missing Elliott, Lindsay, Lena & Jayden)
(missing Elliott, Lindsay, Lena & Jayden)
9 comments:
This is so sweet and so true. Thanks for sharing:-)
That is really neat Cassie. I think that is very true. :) It is obvious you love your Grammy very much. I love your family
Thanks for giving me a reminder of what is really important.
Oh you sweet and beautiful girl... this has brought tears to my eyes. Maybe because of what it says, mostly because of who said. I love you.
You made me cry Cass. I was at the Christmas concert too and tears filled my eyes as I saw Grammy singing. Although this horrible disease has affected her, we always have memories that we can cherish forever.
that was a beautiful thought, thanks for sharing
This made me cry. My mom has always been such a good example to me. Thank you for recognizing that about her and for posting this sweet message Cassie. I miss my mom.
Cassie...you really are amazing! I loved this post and cried along with lindsey and your mom. I Love and miss Aunt Corrine. Think about her often. I am happy that you are so in tune that you could recognize truth and learn it from her! What a great woman and example she has been to all of us! Thanks for sharing your special experience!
Post a Comment