I love my Grandma

I love my Grandma, and I miss her. I get reminded of that fact whenever we visit her. Alice snapped this picture the last time we visited, right after the sheepdog expo. She has been like this for a long long time. She hasn't recognized anyone but papa in more than a year, and most of her time is spent staring at blank spots on walls. I hate Alzheimer's disease.

When I was in high school someone in my drama class did a monologue on Alzheimer's. He portrayed the man who discovered Alzheimer's who kept getting lost in his presentation about the disease only to finally end up lost in his past and alternate reality. The monologue won several awards. It was very funny, he didn't really mock the disease, more show the lighter side of it. I find myself thinking of the monologue a lot as I visit with grandma. While she has past that 'funny' stage a long time ago, it still helps to remember that 'better' time.

We try to visit her as much as we can, but we will never make it up there as much as papa will. He goes every day - rain or shine - even when he had to have back surgery, he proudly announces he only missed a week, and even then he went down in his wheel chair as soon as he could afterwards. He will be 90 this November.

When I was younger my grandmother used to listen to the wild stories that I would make up. She used to always tell me to write them down, and I never did. I kept them locked up in my head for only my viewing pleasure, until now. I wish I could tell her I m finally writing one of them down, that I am almost done. I think she would be proud of me, I don't know. But I wrote one down, and I plan to share it, even if it is only with a few.

I love my grand parents I really do.