four friends.

alzheimers.

that word pulls different heart strings for me than it did a few months ago.

i'm nearing the end of the 2nd month of working at the personal care home and i am continuing to love it.

i love to share my stories of the way these people have found their way into my heart. ways they make me laugh and ways that they have opened my heart up to their own grief and circumstance.

oh how i wish you could all know them. my new and very dear friends.. their personalities, their stories, their history, their quirks. i have been told often in the last couple of months "thats wonderful what you're doing, but i'm glad its you & not me" - i realize that not everyone is cut out to spend their days 'hanging with seniors' - but for me, it is truly a privilege and something that i deeply love. without breaking their confidentiality, i would like to tell you about a few of my dear friends.

i will change their names, but i would like to tell you about four special people. rita, susie, nicole and ted.

rita. rita loves the color blue. she does not like the color purple, although she will wear her purple dress when everything else is in the laundry. she loves to have her nails painted a color called "pink shock". she collects newspaper articles and 'steals' fake flowers off the bulletin boards & displays. rita has dentures but never bothers to wear them. her smile is contagious and her laughter is constant. rita loves life. she has lived at the PCH for almost 15 years but her outlook on life is positive. she's an encourager in games 'slow & steady now... slow & steady' and a consistent cheer leader. rita's mind has been attacked by alzheimers but her heart has not. she speaks bluntly but loves constantly. i look forward to seeing rita every time i work.

susie. susie loves to walk. continually walking, observing, gathering. susie will pick up anything you put down and will carry it to wherever she is going. susie loves to sing. she loves music. alzheimers has viciously attacked susies mind and it can be quite hard for her to get past those barriers. if you are patient with susie, if you sing to susie, if you encourage susie.. she communicates. she will sing with you, and smile at you. she will tell you she loves you or that she appreciates you. i get a hug daily from susie, she is a very special lady.

nicole. nicole is a fiesty lady. she likes to "hop" behind her walker so that she exercises and never becomes lazy. nicole used to be a nurse - a well known - much appreciated nurse. nicole never married, never had children but she has some wonderful caring mothering qualities. alzheimers has made nicole very confused, but has not attacked her caring spirit. you can still she her nursing care come out in the way she folds laundry, the way she asks about other residents. the other night i found nicole sitting very quietly beside her bed. the blankets had been stripped and folded and she was looking somber. i asked her what was wrong and she told me that the woman who normally lays in that bed has suddenly passed away. no one had been there, so she was going to stay so the lady wouldn't be alone. the alzheimers has made her unaware of her reality a lot of the time, but i was given a glimpse into the way she cared for her patients in the past. the way she sat there, lovingly caring for the lady that was all alone. i love knowing and caring for nicole!

and ted. dear ted! i love coming out of the elevator and seeing ted smiling at me. often waiting for me to show up to take him to the entertainment. ted loves to nap during the day. he always wears slippers and he is often quiet. he loves bingo, loves popcorn twists. he loves music but does not enjoy singing because he thinks he isn't any good! he doesn't know Jesus, but his heart is tender and kind and he is a consistent encouragement. his heart is soft and visible in the way he speaks and acts. ted tells me constantly how thankful he is for the PCH and for each one of us. the world needs more teds.

alzheimers. a vicious horrible disease. but what a gift to be able to have time to look past it and learn about my friends. their history, their quirks, their loves, what makes them laugh and what pulls on their heart strings. my wonderful, dear special friends!