OCTOBER 10,2010

When we were young, dating, then getting married, we never expected this stage of our lives would be as it is.  We make plans for "retirement" but living with Alzheimers was not on the bucket list.  However, God is good and He has brought us here.  I know that where ever He leads, He will equip us as we follow Him.  Though I don't understand this journey, I TRUST my God.  He has taught me so much in the past 5 years.  Larry was diagnosed with Alzheimers Disease on July 7, 2008.  At least 3 years prior to that time I became involved in Bible Study Fellowship and God began changing me.  I realized then He was preparing me for something, I just didn't know what.  First we had to deal with "ME"!  God had to get my heart and my mind focused on Him.  He did that by showing me that my past is just that... the past.  I needed to stop focusing on all the bad I had done and ACCEPT His forgiveness.  Then we could work on the journey ahead.  God has done amazing changes in both of us.  Larry has lost the "filter".  You know that on going protector that keeps you from saying what you really think. So he says whatever happens to pop into his head, and then some.  We have learned to laugh a lot.  That is not to say there are no a lot of frustrating times, because there are.  Some for Larry, in as much as him trying to remember what it was he was about to say, to finding the right word to go with that thought.  For me its trying not to make such a big deal out of his every action.  

I have learned to not only spell ACCOUNTING but I have also learned how to do accounting, to some degree.  There is always room for IMPROVEMENT!!   And I have learned how NOT to keep score.  Ladies we know what that means.  I used to keep a BOOK, now I realize it's not important who said what and when or whose right or whose wrong.  The memories Larry has are his memories.  It doesn't matter if they are accurate or not, they are HIS.  It's my job to make sure he is safe, loved and happy.  That doesn't mean he will always like the decisions that have to be made to keep him safe, but eventually he'll come around, or he'll forget about it.  

We will continue to have struggles but it's up to me to make the adjustments, not him. So this blog is not just to vent, but to share this amazing journey.  Perhaps someone else may need to know they are not alone in their journey either.  From here on I hope to share OUR memories and OUR struggles, not just his or mine.  We are in this together, for better or worse.  You know, the world may think this a "worse", but God will show us how this can be a good thing.

Until later,

For His Sake,

Connie Price