My father’s dementia has shifted into a new phase this past year. Some days he remembers; some moments he doesn’t. He might tell you his father once had a little brother who passed away, or suddenly ask why you’re upset with him — even when you aren’t. The past and present blur for him now, and we meet him wherever he happens to be.
Sometimes he’s himself — warm, steady, familiar. Other times he’s unpredictable, confused, or unexpectedly sharp in ways that catch you off guard. He might tell you Jesse Ventura and Hulk Hogan are the same person right after insisting Jesse Ventura passed away. His short-term memory has a mind of its own.
His walk has changed. His world has changed. But he still loves his dog. He gravitates towards his tools. And nothing delights him quite like his leaf blower. These small constants feel like anchors in a life that keeps shifting beneath him.
There’s a strange kind of wisdom living alongside dementia — a wisdom born from patience, grief, humor, and love all tangled together.
This week we donated some of his clothes to the Goodwill and the Salvation Army. He will never wear them again. A quiet act, but a meaningful one — a small acknowledgement of how life keeps moving, even when the heart wants to hold still.
https://www.goodwilleasterseals.org
Be well. Eat healthy. Stay away from sugar. Move your body. Healing, always. Offering light to everyone walking the dementia path.
Jennifer Nicole Nelson, Principal Designer
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