Memorial Day, and Memories

     In my family, like many others around the United States, yesterday was a day where we go to the cemetery and pay our respects to those who have died. We place or plant flowers on graves, and we clean the headstones of any dirt they may have collected since the last time someone visited. This is something I have taken part in almost every year of my life. This year was a little different though, and a little harder emotionally than it ever has been before.
     My grandmother, who was widowed 2 years ago, is  now starting to show signs of Alzheimer disease. I love my grandmother very much and have a very special relationship with her because when I was little I lived with her and she had a big hand in raising me. She has always been a strong woman, and I have looked up to her my whole life.
       I don't know how many of my readers have ever had to watch Alzheimer disease take hold of someone, but it runs on both sides of my family and this isn't the first person in my life that I have experienced going through this. But this time it's more emotional than it has been in the past. It's never easy to deal with, but watching it happen with my grandmother is more difficult than I ever expected.
     Until yesterday I had no idea how bad it had gotten. The once strong and confident woman I so admired is now easily confused, and forgetting things moment to moment. It made me think while I sat on the ground in front of my grandfather's grave planting flowers, how important memories are.  Painful memories often teach us lessons we couldn't learn any other way, and pleasant ones can provide us with comfort.  Thinking about that I was grateful to God for my memories both good and bad, painful and pleasant because they built me into the woman I am now.
     Although it is hard to watch my grandmother going through what she is, becoming more frail and confused every year, I cherish the healthy memories I have of her, and try to be patient with her now. Now it's my turn to remember what she has taught me about love and family; and to bless her like she has done for me over the years. She may not be able to remember many things now, and she forgets quickly, but I remember, and I will remember for years to come, and I can pass on her legacy of faith and love like she has done with me.
     Yesterday was supposed to be about remembering the dead, but it ended up being a lesson in remembering the living, the struggling, and how we can honor them. It was a reminder not to take time for granted, because nothing except God's love last forever. Life and memories are fleeting, but love and faith are a lasting legacy and a tribute to our God.

1 John 2:16-17
16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.