Dementia ruins everything.
Nights are disturbed, and
Daytimes are fraught with fear of
What my confused husband
Might do.
Will he act out in the store as
We shop?
Will we be able to go to church
Without him making a scene?
Every holiday is spoiled because the
Grief weighs me down.
I remember the happy celebrations and
I pretend, for family's sake, that I am enjoying the
Current one.
Dementia mars every moment of
Every day.
But it has its limits.
It can't destroy my love for my loved one.
It can't stop me from pushing on, persistently
Caring for his needs.
It can't take away my hope of heaven, and
The certainty that healing will be there.
It can't rob me of the flashes of joy, of
Seeing a genuine smile flit across the
Face of my bewildered one, of
Hearing a loving rational word from
His lips, or of wrapping him in a
Warm hug and feeling him hug me back.