A nice thought for Easter, isn't it?

Yes, Alzheimer's is a strange disease. The nice thing is that one seems to retain some degree of intelligence and cognition. Like one's mother, for instance, being able to still recognize and appreciate a good singing voice. One can still reach many Alzheimer patients with music. And I suspect our mere presence as a care-giver makes a mother feel good. Maybe makes her feel a sense of love. And maybe she gets pleasure just from tasting ice cream. Maybe her pleasures are more momentary than they used to be. Maybe she can't retrieve certain memories. But still, there is something there. And that's what we have to focus on. As care-givers. Focus on what we still have. Even if it's only tiny fragments. And when a mother dies, we will still have memories of her. We will still have connection with her spirit. Something that lives inside us. We are much of what we are today because of our mothers. We came from her body. And maybe we contain something of her spirit and soul. And so our mothers remain alive. Through us. A nice thought for Easter, isn't it? --Jim Broede