forgetting

"When I was younger, 

I could remember anything, 

whether it had happened or not; 

but my faculties are decaying now 

and soon I shall be so I cannot remember 

any but the things that never happened.  

It is sad to go to pieces like this 

but we all have to do it."

 

~Mark Twain

I just love Mr. Twain!  And this quote makes me laugh about something that otherwise would overwhelm me: my mom's alzheimer's disease.  Yes, it is sad.  Yes, I miss her.  Her disease is so far progressed that she doesn't communicate at all any more, and she lives 2000+ miles away from me anyway.  I have heard that some people get grumpy or even mean with dementia, but that was not the case with my mom.  When I was last able to visit her she was so funny.  You see, my mom had been a worrier, a perfectionist, a control freak, and at times somewhat critical.  I think she may have even suffered from depression, especially after my dad died in 2002.  But the alzheimer's took all of that away.  She was like a very sweet, silly child. 

This has been a good reminder for me of two things:

1. I can be a lot like my mom used to be, and I do not want to wait until I get alzheimer's to let go of all of the negatives and allow my family to see a sweet, silly, child-like side of me!
2. This earthly life and body is only temporary.