Kate has never been a morning person and Alzheimer’s, Covid, and a stroke have made mornings the most difficult part of her day. I call this her neutral time. It’s a time when she is neither happy nor sad, but that seems to be changing.
Over the past year or so, she has experienced more “Happy Moments” in the morning. During the past few weeks, they have occurred even more frequently, and now I spend more of my morning time with her. We watch music videos on YouTube, and I often talk to her about the many moments we have shared during our marriage. She rarely speaks, but her facial expressions communicate that she enjoys hearing what I tell her.
These are also times when it is clear that our relationship remains strong. We like being together. Each of us retains the love that began during our senior year in college. Like so many other aspects of our lives, I don’t know how long we will have these moments. I do know that we were in the same position at the time of her diagnosis 13 ½ years ago. We simply decided to enjoy life and each other for as long as possible. That has served us well. I think we’ll stick with it.
