So, the world is kind of coming together.
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BogusMeatFactory
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Re: So, the world is kind of coming together.
In our lifetime, we will most likely see someone land on Mars.
-I am the idiot that likes to have fun and be happy.Ack wrote:I don't know, chief, the haunting feeling of lust I feel whenever I look at your avatar makes me think it's real.
Re: So, the world is kind of coming together.
So, I work for this incredible couple, at least part of the time. The thing is the man, who is a proud, brilliant, charismatic, Dutch gentleman; suffers from Alzheimer's. He is not the angry and combative type (yet). His wife is sharp as they come and although he managed million dollar companies, and excelled in this field...she now manages him.
The way she has learned to handle his disease and the grace she does it with is really inspirational. She is quite open about the struggles she faces daily, but she is so resilient. Her husband meanwhile, rather than being stuck in some facility (which they could easily afford) copes quite well for mid-late stage. He is a funny and charming fellow, and although he may not remember you from one day to the next; he manages to remain excellent company.
The thing that I mostly want to share though, is that this disease is one of the worst things I can imagine. I witness these kind, generous, and exceptional folks handling my worst nightmare with a grace and dignity that I can only aspire to live up to. She takes classes and learns ways to gently guide him back on track without upsetting him. He is so smart that if you only saw him once you wouldn't even be able to tell he suffered the awful disease. They are never rude or curt, no matter how bad their day has been.
Over forty years they have been married. He told her one day out of the blue that if he should ever suffer from this ailment (at the time they had no idea), that she should put him in managed care. He did not want her to suffer. Although he offered her this "gift" as she put it, of relieving herself the guilt should it ever come to that, she continues to stand by him and improve his quality of life. She has thousands of creative ways of handling his "episodes" and they are quite clever...even more, they are touching. The patience and love is a real testament to what a marriage should represent.
I suppose there isn't much point to the story. It is just something that I happen to see on a weekly basis and find much happiness in being able to know these wonderful people. They never make excuses, they don't complain, they make the best of what life has given them and they do so amazingly well. To top it off they are incredibly generous and all around great people. If more people got to spend time with people like this, there would be a less pessimistic view of humanity in my opinion. I work with wonderful people almost every day, these are just a couple of my favorites.
To top it off they have the coolest dog I have ever been around. She is perfectly behaved, literally no room for improvement, and she is adorable. A Welsh Corgi for those interested.
The way she has learned to handle his disease and the grace she does it with is really inspirational. She is quite open about the struggles she faces daily, but she is so resilient. Her husband meanwhile, rather than being stuck in some facility (which they could easily afford) copes quite well for mid-late stage. He is a funny and charming fellow, and although he may not remember you from one day to the next; he manages to remain excellent company.
The thing that I mostly want to share though, is that this disease is one of the worst things I can imagine. I witness these kind, generous, and exceptional folks handling my worst nightmare with a grace and dignity that I can only aspire to live up to. She takes classes and learns ways to gently guide him back on track without upsetting him. He is so smart that if you only saw him once you wouldn't even be able to tell he suffered the awful disease. They are never rude or curt, no matter how bad their day has been.
Over forty years they have been married. He told her one day out of the blue that if he should ever suffer from this ailment (at the time they had no idea), that she should put him in managed care. He did not want her to suffer. Although he offered her this "gift" as she put it, of relieving herself the guilt should it ever come to that, she continues to stand by him and improve his quality of life. She has thousands of creative ways of handling his "episodes" and they are quite clever...even more, they are touching. The patience and love is a real testament to what a marriage should represent.
I suppose there isn't much point to the story. It is just something that I happen to see on a weekly basis and find much happiness in being able to know these wonderful people. They never make excuses, they don't complain, they make the best of what life has given them and they do so amazingly well. To top it off they are incredibly generous and all around great people. If more people got to spend time with people like this, there would be a less pessimistic view of humanity in my opinion. I work with wonderful people almost every day, these are just a couple of my favorites.
To top it off they have the coolest dog I have ever been around. She is perfectly behaved, literally no room for improvement, and she is adorable. A Welsh Corgi for those interested.
Re: So, the world is kind of coming together.
I grew up with my grandmother who suffered from Alzheimer's so I really enjoyed reading that JP. It's inspiring to hear how they both seem to be handling the disease with such dignity. Thank you for sharing!
"The librarian does not rue the library, nor the curator fear the exhibits. Rather they revel in their potential. And that is the beauty of a big backlog; pure potential." - Exhuminator
My Game Room | My BST Thread |
My Game Room | My BST Thread |
Re: So, the world is kind of coming together.
8bit wrote:I grew up with my grandmother who suffered from Alzheimer's so I really enjoyed reading that JP. It's inspiring to hear how they both seem to be handling the disease with such dignity. Thank you for sharing!
Sorry to hear about that 8bit. I hope you saw some good times with her as well. I know these two are fortunate, and it isn't always a choice how you can deal with Alzheimer's.
I would love to have gone into greater detail about some of her methods, I felt like that might be a bit too much.
They make great stories, but I don't think it's my place to pass them on. I wish I could since the story would certainly be more impactful.
She passes them along with some humor to keep it light, still the pain in her eyes is sometimes almost tangible. Yet, she never even lets her voice quiver. Always pointing out her blessings compared to some others who suffer from this, or have loved ones that do. The more thought I give it, I just respect them that much more.
Last edited by jp1 on Tue Feb 24, 2015 3:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: So, the world is kind of coming together.
I am not familiar with this "happy" you refer to.
I've recently started playing Warcraft 3 and it's rekindled my old love for RTS games. Does that count?
I've recently started playing Warcraft 3 and it's rekindled my old love for RTS games. Does that count?
I feel old when talking to anyone my age yet too inexperienced to effectively talk to anyone older. Life is grand that way.
My twitter handle is @EckoExplores
My twitter handle is @EckoExplores
Re: So, the world is kind of coming together.
You tell me.MrEco wrote:I am not familiar with this "happy" you refer to.
I've recently started playing Warcraft 3 and it's rekindled my old love for RTS games. Does that count?
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mjmjr25
Re: So, the world is kind of coming together.
We had our Blue-Gold dinner last night - all went very well, good skits, good food, good boys.
Our pack has grown steadily the past 2 years - the resurgence has been nice to see. It's clear there is still interest in scouts; it's just a matter of adults willing to give their time. We have a new leader as of 2 years ago and he puts so much of his time into it - he is solely accountable (imo) for us going from a pack of 30 to a pack of 45 in just 2 years.
Our pack has grown steadily the past 2 years - the resurgence has been nice to see. It's clear there is still interest in scouts; it's just a matter of adults willing to give their time. We have a new leader as of 2 years ago and he puts so much of his time into it - he is solely accountable (imo) for us going from a pack of 30 to a pack of 45 in just 2 years.
Re: So, the world is kind of coming together.
That's great Mike. I've been looking into scouts for my boys. Do your boys enjoy it? Is there still a strong push for helping others? I was in from 7-12 years of age or so. Overall, I thought it was a great experience. I was in the mountains at the time, so outdoor stuff was just amazing.mjmjr25 wrote:We had our Blue-Gold dinner last night - all went very well, good skits, good food, good boys.
Our pack has grown steadily the past 2 years - the resurgence has been nice to see. It's clear there is still interest in scouts; it's just a matter of adults willing to give their time. We have a new leader as of 2 years ago and he puts so much of his time into it - he is solely accountable (imo) for us going from a pack of 30 to a pack of 45 in just 2 years.
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BogusMeatFactory
- Next-Gen
- Posts: 6770
- Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2009 3:16 pm
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Re: So, the world is kind of coming together.
Here is a beautiful sunset........on MARS! We are 10 years away from starting our woman on mars mission. Is your body ready?
-I am the idiot that likes to have fun and be happy.Ack wrote:I don't know, chief, the haunting feeling of lust I feel whenever I look at your avatar makes me think it's real.
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mjmjr25
Re: So, the world is kind of coming together.
My boys love it - yeah.jp1 wrote:Do your boys enjoy it? Is there still a strong push for helping others? I was in from 7-12 years of age or so. Overall, I thought it was a great experience. I was in the mountains at the time, so outdoor stuff was just amazing.
So many good things about it.
First and foremost - it is one-on-one time with your child.
It is a chance to watch your child interact with their peers.
The children learn goal setting and steps to complete those goals from the very first meeting. You are always trying to earn the next badge or belt loop.
It is positive role models and really - this is the biggest thing for me. I love that I get to spend the time with my sone, but the biggest benefit to me is the other boys. We have a couple boys from broken homes and with their behavior it is evident there is no accountability or expectations of and for their behavior. Having one hour a week where they are held accountable has such an impact on them - you can see that they actually enjoy the structure and being accountable for the way they behave. Then, when they get positive reinforcement for doing things the right way - they light up. It's pretty awesome.