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A new day has begun.

Morning

The strengthening Sun firms resolve

As the slouching gait of

Dawn becomes, once more,

Upright, keen and driven.

Doubts of worth and spirit bow

Before the camouflage of normalcy.

Me! As I was, am now and perhaps

ever more shall be.

Noon

No shadows, those stealers of my self belief.

Do you notice how they’ve fled

From stumbling feet and timid response and frightened mind?

‘Walk in the light’.---- The Vicar robed and me exposed

To strengths and truths.

This midday sun,

Once more, a covering makes.

Afternoon

The walk is long.

Tired body and mind rejecting once more

Confidence in self----belief in the light,

As shadows return; and the ever waiting darkening

Creeps to entangle and dispel

Those rays of warmth and strength and me.

Night

Wait! Is that a light I sense

Amid the murk and deep unknowing?

A childhood playmate

come to share a tale

Or a falling star descending from

blackness to the unlit void.

There are no shadows now.

The day is done.

Brian McNaughton

Copyright © 2007 Sarah Christianson. All rights reserved. The writings, artwork, images, and layout of such (including but not limited to) those on this web site created by Sarah Christianson and others are protected by copyright law and may not be downloaded, reproduced, or republished.

Any and all writings, graphics, etc from others have been placed here with permission.

Life

Life is a roller coaster

It can take you up

and it can let you down

it can move you in circles

and make you throw up

till you think your gonna die

it can move fast

it can coast really slow

it can lift us

to our highest point in our lives

like the birth of a child

or a wedding day

and then knock us back down

with a funeral or a fire

but our lives ARE like a roller coaster

It is up to us how we ride

So, do we enjoy the good days?

And forget about the bad?

Come, sit down

And I'll ride with you

and maybe we can share a few laughs

But where ever this roller coaster goes

Be it up or down

Remember ,

You are NEVER alone

by Lorraine McCain

Dementia and the Linen Closet

Walked into the bathroom and opened the door

The cupboard was tidy from ceiling to floor

How could this be? It should be a mess

Am I in the right house? It leaves me to guess

The blankets were there in a very neat stack

So were the pillows in a row in the back

Towels folded neatly all faced the same way

Wash cloths and hand towels on lovely display

Sheets were matched up and looking real good

Pillowcases on top of them just as they should

All extra products in a row on the floor

Cleaners and TP and tissues galore

My confusion was growing, just how could this be?

I went to get Vince just so he could see

He hugged me and smiled, "It's looking just right"

"Don't you remember? You cleaned it last night!"

Jean Opalka

You ask me a question

As the light slowly begins to turn on inside my head

I begin to answer

the words start to come out

you look at me like you're confused

I know it must not be coming out quite right

my heart begins to sadden

I repeat myself, slower this time to speak my mind correctly

you sigh

with a saddened heart and mounting frustration I keep trying

I know I should be able to express myself

seeing the frustration mounting within you

my heart sinks

I want to crawl back in my hole and be silent

I know that I am speaking what's on my mind

this is my mind

jumbled like a tossed salad

I'm doing the best I can

Sarah Christianson

August 2006

The Alzheimer Prayer

Dear Lord, I come to you in prayer as I need your help

You see, I use to be a bright, intelligent and caring person

I use to care for the sick, I was a Wife and a Mother

I was the caretaker of all things

I was there when someone needed a shoulder to cry on

I was always loving and strong

I was there when someone needed a laugh

I was there to tend the hurts

I was there to make the world keep spinning

But you see Dear Lord, all of that has changed

As I am now alittle slower than use to be

I still care, but many times what I say comes out all wrong

I am still a Wife and a Mother, but now they take care of me

I do most of the crying now

I don't always know how to show my love and I have become weak

I still laugh alot, but mostly at myself

Seems at times, I cause more hurt than I help

No matter what I do, I feel that I am spinning out of control

I am here to ask you Lord, I know we can't change things back to

what use to be

But maybe, every once in awhile just maybe a glimpse of who I was

will appear, even if its just a twinkle in my eye

Let my family know that I am still me, I just have a disease

and it has taken me to another place

A place that is dark and full of shadows and unknown places

Unfamiliar faces and voices

Let them know that I need their touch from time to time

Maybe a hug or a squeeze or a kiss on the cheek

Someday I may wander into those shadows with no return

Let them know that it is okay, because where I am going

from here is a place where I will never forget

to remember again, I will never be sad or lonely

and I will have the biggest smile upon my face as I wait for

them to follow when they come into the shadows

One more thing Dear Lord before I forget, if I can no longer speak

Will you let them know that I love them

and though I may have changed, I am still the same me.

Tracy Mobley

My forgetter's getting better,

Its my rememberer that's broke.

To you that may seem funny

But, to me its no joke.

For when I'm 'here' I'm wondering

If I really should be 'there'

And, when I try to think it through, I haven't got a prayer!

Often I walk into a room and say

'Now what am I here for'

I wrack my brain, but all in vain!

A zero is my score.

At times I put something away

Make sure its safe, but, gee!

The person that its safest from

Is generally me.

When shopping I may see someone.

Say "Hi' and have a chat

Then, when the person walks away

I ask 'now who was that'?

Yes, my forgetter's getting better

While my rememberer is broke,

And it's driving me plumb crazy

And that isn't any joke.

unknown author

You Are A Miracle

You are a child of Creation, a reflection of God.

No one can steal your beauty or reduce your worth

unless you let them.

Don't let them.

You are a miracle of God's love.

A miracle!

Never look at yourself and see anything less.

Your life is not a random stroke of chance.

You are part of a sovereign plan,

loved into existence for eternity.

Let the fire in your soul, live and love,

leap and laugh with joy.

And for the short time you walk upon this earth,

always remember...

You are the light of the world!

Windsor, Ontario, Canada

WiseHearts.Com

You are the light of the world.

A city on a hill cannot be hidden.

Matthew 5:14

Tell Me Doctor ...

Tell me doctor, on which minute, on which hour, on which day, of which month, which year did I develop Alzheimer's disease? That was more than ten years past. Had I come to you daily years before I developed even the slightest symptom notion could you tell me when I had crossed the line? Precisely what marks the demarcation? What measuring stick would give the precise instance that I had passed the boundary? Had I been wired and monitored by the most sophisticated space age devices round the clock could a line be drawn on graph paper that would have shown the "a haw moment" time slice?

No?

You can't?

Why?

I think it is much like trying to determine which snowflake caused a roof to collapse. Surely one of them was too much and the beams could no longer stand the strain. But I think that any structural engineer would say that it is not simply a load factor but also a time factor as well.

Me think that even pondering such thoughts tells me that there is not much more space on the graph paper to plot either the x-axis or the y-axis of my future. Does anyone have more graph paper?

Ben Stevens

Irving TX USA

An Aricept Anthem

We are not the hollow men.

We are not stuffed!

When we chat together,

Our heads are full of hope.

Whispering amongst ourselves,

We find our voices louder.

Edging to our destinies,

We leave a trail behind.

Know this:

We may not have forever,

But we reclaim our "present."

Watch us!

Our stream will soon be river,

Then a river in spring flood.

Legions come behind us,

Define our growing voice.

Spread the table wider, please

For we demand a choice!

--- Carole Mulliken 3-19-01

What you don't see

I clean off my table

Then feel the pressure

Within my head

I fill out papers

For the Dr, Attny or SSD

My head begins to ache

I go to the bathroom

How long have I been sitting

Did I already go or not

I see the toilet paper is running low

By the time I turn around

The thought is gone

I will not remember until I go again

~*~

It's coming, I can feel it

The fog that clouds my head

It tires me, confuses me

What was I going to say?

Sarah Christianson

October 2006