How many times in our lives do we experience something and say, “I’ll never forget this?” I used to say that, but not anymore. When those moments come along now, I pray that I won’t forget.
The truth is we don’t know what we will remember and what we won’t. My dad lost his short-term memory after a stroke, but he could remember things from long ago that the rest of us forgot. One time he kept telling my mom that we planted corn in our yard when we were kids, but she thought he was imagining it. As soon as she told me, I could picture exactly where we planted that corn. The only reason I remembered it was because he did. My mom laughed when I said, “Um, Mom, I think we did plant corn in the side yard one summer. I think Uncle Roy gave us some seeds.”
We were lucky that my dad knew us till the end. This was not the case with my mother-in-law. Dementia, Alzheimer’s, strokes, or brain injuries can happen to anyone. It is sad to watch it happen to those we love, but I believe that while their bodies fail them, their souls endure. Somewhere in there, their souls know us and love us. My faith that Heaven exists helps me cope. I hope that when the time comes, we will be reunited, and they will once again recognize us.