My Mother has Alzheimers. She was diagnosed with moderate Alzheimer disease in February 2004. My Dad passed away in October 2001. The disease has progressively gotten worst. I hate this disease. It robs you of memories and all those things that make up who you are. One of the hardest parts of this disease is for family and having a Mother who doesn’t remember who you are. My Mother and I had a special mother-daughter relationship. We were close and so it hurts.
Mother and Daddy took me to church and taught me about Jesus. I asked Jesus into my heart when I was twelve years old during a revival. My Mother accepted Christ when she was a teenage girl and my Dad was older when he accepted Christ as Savior. I know she loves the Lord because she told me so and she also modeled the love of Christ in her life. She was not perfect and neither am I. She is my Mother and I love her.
When you forget who you are or who your family is, do you remember Jesus?
The answer to that question is yes I believe you do. As the disease gets progressively worse, you may not be able to express it but perhaps somewhere inside the presence of Jesus is even stronger. Since the Holy Spirit lives within each Christian until the day we die, He is still there because His promise says, “I will never leave you or forsake you.”
The Lord allows me to see glimpses of His presence in my Mother on occasion. The other night, I spent the night with Mother while my sister who is the primary caregiver went to a woman’s retreat. Mother and I had a pleasant evening and I thought she remembered my name although she never called it. When she went to bed, I asked her if she wanted to pray. She did and begin to pray, “Dear Father”. She prayed a very sweet prayer and even prayed for this “sweet lady that was staying with her tonight”. And then she spoke to God in these words as she ended her prayer, “I love You, I love You, I love You. Amen.”
Thank you Father for allowing me to see You through her and thank You for Your care for Your children even when our mind doesn’t remember.
My Mother passed away June 8, 2011. She simply forgot how to breathe. She left the old forgetful body and is now in heaven in the presence of Jesus. He never left her alone. He was there to escort her to heaven and she is in His presence forever.