Brighten Your Day

3 years ago, my dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, not really familiar with it or didn’t think that this would concern me at that time, since dad seemed okay, he was starting to forget a bit but nothing critical, he was still going to work and everything seemed fine…today after 3 years, no one would have imagined we could get to this stage, my dad is at home, he can’t work anymore or perform anything , he can’t shower, shave, get dressed, practically he cannot do anything by himself, he forgets people and places, he only remembers things from a long time ago, not the current things, the only good thing about it is that he still knows us, his children…

Yesterday we were having our normal Sunday lunch, dad couldn’t quite figure out how to eat, he seemed confused, which ingredient to put with what and how to eat them, usually eating was among the things he still knows how to do, mum started yelling at him,( she spends 24/7 with him so I understand her , she has to do everything for him, including answering the same questions over 50 times a day), so while she was yelling at him, he stared at his plate with a sad look over his face, as if he is expected to do something and he just wasn’t able to, I have never seen this look before, my dad was always this hard working guy, who’s voice can literally scare off a whole neighborhood back in the days, now was not able to raise his voice in despair, I didn’t know what to do but to grab his plate, started cutting his meat and giving him small bites of meat with bread, he smiled at me when I did this, it was an unforgettable breathtaking moment, the very first bite I ever give him, he must have felt this way when he first gave me food when I was a baby, it was a bitter sweet moment, me taking care of him like he always did with me, but I was also sad because I didn’t want him to end up with way, at least not so soon…

This incident had taught me to always appreciate the things we take for granted, like having healthy parents or sharing simple things like a lunch with our family…..