Boppa July and August 2009

Above right is Boppa with his great-granddaughter, Ceci, During my daughter’s visit in July, Ceci and Boppa had several playful interchanges. My daughter and I both observed them playing what seemed to be nonsensical games, but to them made perfect sense. The one I observed was in Blimpey Burgers. While we waited Ceci and Boppa played a hand patting game. Four year old Ceci was the director of these interchanges. She would say “Now Boppa, you have to do it this way” or that or whatever  way she thought of and he would laugh. Sometimes he did it correctly and sometimes not. But the interesting thing is that when he watched her hands he would follow her perfectly. He didn’t get her verbal instructions, but he did get them if she showed him with her own hands. They played this way for about a half hour until our food arrived.

The quote for this issue “What we see depends upon where we sit” is so very true. Boppa and Ceci saw their games as just plain fun. I on the other watched to see how this Alzhiemer’s patient interacted with a four year old, totally fascinated.

Tuesday, August 4, I was able to go with Lorrie and Dad on an American House outing to Frankenmuth. It really was a fun day with lunch at the Bavarian Inn, a walk over the cover bridge and exploring the many shops in River Place.

The Boppa blog lost the first nine entries when I had to repair my iweb. I was able to save the text into a word document, but I have not had time yet to replace them. 

Many Blessings to All!

Pam

Dad/Boppa Loves Family Events

Family events help keep Dad/Boppa in touch with his “feelings, will, sensibilities, moral being” (Kuhn 138). Even though he may not remember exactly who people are,  I can see it in his face when he makes a connection emotionally. The photos above show that connection. The left photo is of Dad at great grandson Isaiah’s first birthday party, that memory can still be accessed and you can see it in his big smile. The second photo is of Dad with his niece Louanne’s son. Craig lives in Nevada and Dad has not seen him in ten years, so the memory is older and you can see it in his face. He has connected emotionally, but not completely. Dad just knew he was with family and that is all that counts.

As Kuhn quotes  Patti Davis, daughter of former President Reagan, in her book Angels Don’t Die “. . .I looked at my father. His eyes met mine, and what I saw there told me it only mattered that we were there together. . .” ( 147).

And filmmaker Deborah Hoffman makes a similar realization in her documentary Complaints of a Dutiful Daughter when she states, “For the longest time I insisted upon truth and reality being important. So she [mother] would say it’s April when it was really May. And I would say, ‘Oh no, it’s May.’ And finally it dawned on me. ‘What does it matter?’ . . .what does it matter if she thinks it’s April?” (147).  

What does it matter if the person does not remember the month, the name, the place, the person? What matters is the moment, the togetherness, the emotion that can be seen in the face, felt in the touch, and heard in the laughter. 

Blessings

Pam