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It's Like Peeling
Green Plantains
My Faith Journey as a Caregiver Living with Alzheimers and Dementia
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Legacy
Ben died last week. Just four months after he left our house, he gave up his last breath and ended his suffering. It is the end of an...
Julie (and Ken)
Jun 1, 20214 min read
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Final Entry
Thank you all for faithfully reading my journal entries about our experience with Ben’s dementia. You have been so encouraging over the...
Julie (and Ken)
Feb 21, 20213 min read
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Moving Out
Ben moved out today. People have been asking me how I feel about it. To nobody’s surprise, I have very mixed emotions. The Peel All...
Julie (and Ken)
Feb 14, 20213 min read
62 views
1 comment
Telling Him About It
With Ben’s departure coming up, we are tempted to wait until the day of his move to tell him about it. Advanced notice of upcoming...
Julie (and Ken)
Feb 7, 20213 min read
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One Thing at a Time
Dementia reduces people’s capacity to the point of only being able to process one thing at a time. It’s no wonder they can’t remember...
Julie (and Ken)
Jan 31, 20213 min read
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After All These Things...
After decades of dementia and Alzheimer’s research, there are no real answers. After billions of dollars put into the medical field,...
Julie (and Ken)
Jan 24, 20213 min read
22 views
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Mind Tricks
Ben’s mind plays tricks on him. He does his best to explain to us what he is thinking. As a result, we go crazy trying to make sense...
Julie (and Ken)
Jan 17, 20212 min read
27 views
1 comment
Holiday Lights
Holidays act like flood lights shining on everything in our lives. We gather around our family and friends to highlight the fact that we...
Julie (and Ken)
Jan 10, 20212 min read
17 views
1 comment
Breaking the Mold
The year 2020 was the year of “breaking the mold” for many people. I’ve heard people hoping that things would go back to “normal” in...
Julie (and Ken)
Jan 1, 20213 min read
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Time Unravels
Time means nothing anymore. Neither historical time nor future time can register in Ben’s brain. Night and day are interchangeable at...
Julie (and Ken)
Dec 27, 20202 min read
28 views
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Deeds to Forgive
When I talk to friends who are also caring for their dementia/Altzeihmer’s parent, they describe him or her like a shell of a person...
Julie (and Ken)
Dec 20, 20202 min read
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Open Eyes, Open Heart
We don’t realize how much we need medical help until we see our sickness. I used to eat 1-2 candy bars every day and not worry about my...
Julie (and Ken)
Dec 13, 20202 min read
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Greatest Transformation
I think we will appreciate heaven more now that we have experienced a taste of hell. Like jumping in a cool lake on a hot day, or...
Julie (and Ken)
Dec 6, 20202 min read
12 views
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Hazing
My husband often talks about his fraternity hazing as being one of the most influential times of his life. He was motivated then by the...
Julie (and Ken)
Nov 29, 20202 min read
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Chickens, Ben, and Me
We drag our feet and fight changes. This past week marked the time to move my hens from their brooder, a small temporary housing for...
Julie (and Ken)
Nov 21, 20202 min read
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The Bomb
Picture yourself carrying a hand grenade. It’s not likely to explode, but there is always a part of you that is on high alert for the...
Julie (and Ken)
Nov 15, 20202 min read
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Healing Days
Swinging from one extreme to the next seems to be part of the dementia experience. But, I hesitate to call them “bad” days and “good”...
Julie (and Ken)
Nov 8, 20202 min read
31 views
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Someday, I will...
“I desperately want to be able to share my life with my dad. ...” When I first met my husband, he talked almost daily to his parents...
Julie (and Ken)
Nov 1, 20202 min read
23 views
0 comments
Never be Negative
“My mother always said to me, ‘Good Boy, Ben!’ She was never negative.” I know enough about Ben’s childhood to know that he was pretty...
Julie (and Ken)
Oct 25, 20202 min read
10 views
0 comments
Therapy Cat
Hercules did not make a good first impression on Ben. Hercules is our black cat who persistently craves attention. Ben wanted to have...
Julie (and Ken)
Oct 11, 20202 min read
18 views
1 comment
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