(The man of my dreams.....I've been blessed)
Thanksgiving and Christmas with family and friends has been a blessing for me. Oh yes, I've missed David!!! However, looking back, last Christmas was a lot more difficult than this year.
October, November and December of last year David changed considerably. He didn't recognize anyone, he was more agitated and hard for me to take care of. His body was big and strong which made it even more difficult for me.
David was 'officially' dagnosed with Alzheimer's October 2005. Two months later on Christmas day 2005, David called our family together and instructed them to promise him they would see to it that I would have him placed in a home when he became hard for me to take care of. They promised.......and I cried and cried.
Last December, with the urging of family and friends, I found Alz-Care and started taking him there for a couple of hours once a week.
I set the date of January 2, 2012 as the date of moving him there.
The month of December last year was the saddest time of my life! I knew I'd be taking him to Alz-Care and I felt so guilty, sad.....you name it, I felt it. Our children and friends were reminding me, "we made a promise to Po-Pe" .. The promise was so typical of David. He would always think of someone else other than himself.
My best friend went with me on January 2nd. David wasn't really aware of anything, other than being offered a cup of coffee when we arrived. He lived there 9 months and 3 days and lived with Alzheimer's anywhere from 9 to 10 years.
Through our journey of moving forward with Alzheimer's we've been blessed to be surrounded with loving, supportive and caring people, which made our journey so much easier.
To each of you who thought of us and prayed for us....I truly felt it. Thank you!!!!
To each of you who thought of us and prayed for us....I truly felt it. Thank you!!!!
GOD is GOOD!!
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HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!
28 comments:
You are so admired and loved by us blogging friends. Hope to meet you one day. Thanks for letting me interview you on my blog.
Happy New Years!
Hugs and prayers,
Carol
I have been thinking of you so much this holiday season. You've been in my thoughts and prayers. Your posts are always such an encouragement and blessing! Happy New Year, my friend!! Hugs
Happy New Year, sweet lady!!!
You are the one that has helped me!! I am so glad that I found your blog. You give me insight as to how my Mama must be feeling. Thank you so much for sharing your journey. It is important that we share, it helps others who are going through the saem thing. Yes, God is still good!!!
You must have gotten nearly giddy to think of David safely home this Christmas. I don't know what one day in Heaven is like, but I do know that it is better than any of our celebrations. I sometimes would feel sad for the changes we all see from one year to the next and then just become absolutely warm with the knowledge of where each one was. (And I hoped that they had found each other and shared a superb cup of coffee and great conversation.)
Thank you for sharing David with us, Dolores. We'd not have known him without your telling us the sweet things. He is such a dear man. Yes! Always present tense. He is doing very well thank you very much...safely home.
Happy New Year, Dolores! Who knows what adventures lie ahead?
Sweet friend, I wish for you nothing but happiness and good health this coming year!!! This was a beautiful post, David was a very special man. What a LOVING thing to do, to tell everyone he wanted to be placed somewhere. I hope if we are ever faced with this we can be as UNSELFISH as David. You 2 are a true inspiration. God bless. XO, Pinky
Happy New Year sweet lady
My heart broke when I read this story. I know you are hurting. And I understand what you are saying - that you miss him, but last year was harder seeing him suffer more. God Bless you.
To a new year - 2013 - sandie♥
I'm so glad you had a nice Christmas. I can understand how hard it must have been last year. I hope your New Year's Celebration will be sweet.
Blessings....
Hi Dolores. I'm so glad to read your recent blog posts, because I truly believe that you are at peace. I know you miss David, especially at this time of year, but I can see that you are coping well with your friends and family gathered around you. And your new blog title is the perfect description.
I truly understand the feeling of counting the days and weeks and years. Tomorrow will be three years since my beloved father passed away.
Happy new year, my dear friend.
Gilda
A very hard time for you! My heart sank as I read what you had to go through last year dear friend! Your attitude is such a blessing!
Happy New Year my dear friend and adopted mother!
I'm sorry I've been incommunicado - it's just been a crazy couple of months. Family is difficult!
Wow, I can't believe it was 9 months David was in the care home. I'm sure it seemed long to you, but I didn't remember it was that long! I just remember how brave you were and how much you loved him so.
I'm so glad you have friends and family close to help you through the holidays - they can be so hard. I'm glad that this holiday felt "easier".
Know that I think about you all the time - it's just been nuts here. I don't have time enough to myself to go to the bathroom, let alone blog much!! :)
love you!
barbara
Happy New Year to you too Dolores !I thank you again for your gracious sharing of this painful journey in such an uplifting, but true account.I know this must be an encouragement to so many others facing this in their own families & lives.
And to you, Dolores. Best wishes, Jenny
Wishing you a New Year filled with good health as you are moving forward to this new stage of your life.
Take care
I think of you still and check your blog. I still feel like its one step forward and two back alot. My 3 year old granddaughter is learning that I'm her Mommy's Mom and Papa is my Dad. She asked me this week where my Mommy was. So sad she has no memory of her at all.
Thank you so much for letting us be part, throu your heart felt blog, "Moving Forward with Alzheimer"... that I feel I know you so long. For me specially, you have been such an inspiration and I admire your courage, intelligence, strength and at the same token, your sweetness and sensibility to deal with your hardship, and how you have gone throu this hard journey in your life. I was thinking of you new year's eve eve and hopping your new year be happy and also a very exciting new road you will be experiencing, although our memories are all we have to hold on to of our loved ones, God always finds a way for us to find other new and wonderful memories to again add to our daily lives. I once said to you, that dear David is now so much more closer to you than when alive with his devasting illness. You are always in my prayers, dear friend. Looking forwarding our friendship throu the new year. Thank you for been such an special friend.
Love,
FABBY
Praying that This Year will treat you So much better than the last one...
Sending lots of hugs and love sweet friend!!!
hughugs
Gob Bless you in 2013.
I thought of you all during the holidays Sending love J
What a poignant post this was, Dolores. Such sad memories yet filled to overflow with the love and care you and your family gave David. As always I relate so much to what you share with all of us. God bless and have a happy new year. Hugs, Latane
Just want to tell you I love you.
Rebecca
My dearest friend Dolores, You are a good friend to all of us blog buddies and you inspire us with all you have been through. You were truly blessed to have David in your life, he was a wonderful man, husband and father. He also was very fortunate to have you with such great qualities, wife, mother and nurse to him during all of this time. You both were a perfect couple and showed the blog world what love is all about. Wishing you a happy new year 2013. Prayers...Lu
I love seeing all your happy moments together with David. Dolores. Happy New Year!...Christine
I am thinking how difficult that first night alone without him must have been for you. We all care about you, Delores! Here's to a great Saturday, I hope you are surrounded by the peace and love of God.
Oh my sweet friend...I am so blessed to be your friend as you are the inspiration in my life! I adore your memory photos and this one of dear David smiling at us with that big great smile, makes me happy, everytime I come by..and I've been here three times my dear Dolores! Thank you for sharing it with us and for your lovely, sweet and kind visit to my post. Have a nice and fun weekend.
FABBY
You truly are an Inspiration through the blessed Lord Jesus Christ who the is the Beginning and the end of all of us who claim him as Lord. He directs our paths. When we fall he is there to carry us through. He is a Everlasting Lord.
Without him we could do nothing.
I enjoyed the openeness of your blog about david and you.
Blessed be to you Happy New Year for 2013 and your family.
Carol Ann
Hi darling, things are going as well as can be expected, a few good days a few bad. I do carry the dogs in the shop, currently sold out. I plan to reorder next week so will let you know when they come in if you're still interested in them. hugs ~lynne ~
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