Kate was in bed by 7:30 last night and was up about 8:45 this morning. She was in a very pleasant mood when we made our morning trip to Panera. She did something unusual. She brought three books with her. That is interesting because she doesn’t read. It also surprised me that she was taking them to Panera where she spends her time working jigsaw puzzles on her iPad. She only took one of them inside, It was a book about the history of our church. She did actually spend a short time looking through it. After an hour there, she said she was ready to go home. As soon as she came inside, she went directly to our bedroom where she took off her coat and got into bed. That is the second time she has done that since we returned from Texas Monday night. While this was a very common occurrence a few years back, this is most unusual nowadays. In fact, occasionally when I have thought she was tired and asked if she would like to lie down, she has said she feared sleeping too long.
She is clearly acting differently. She is having more trouble with names and shows some confusion. Yesterday she received a touching letter from her brother, Ken, along with a gift of a spinner. He noted that one of his sons gave him one for his last birthday. He keeps it by the coffee pot and spins it each time he makes coffee. He also indicated that it is a time of reflection in which he thinks about “family, friends, and the ‘circles of life’ that have brought me to my current understanding of my life.” He says it is a time for counting blessings and giving thanks. Then he suggested to Kate that “every time you ‘take a spin,’ think of the people you love. And know that I will be thinking of you and Richard every time I spin.”
Before leaving for Panera, I read the letter to Kate and showed her the spinner. We were both moved by his loving words. For me, it was especially touching as I realize just how far Kate is into her journey with Alzheimer’s and that Ken is at an earlier stage of this journey. Life and the people we love are more precious to all of us who travel this path, and we have lots of sentimental moments.
When I finished reading the letter to Kate, she said, “Now who is this from?” This was a painful moment that reminds me of the reality of this disease and where we are. Life is not the way it used to be, and the toughest part remains ahead.
