Remembering old times

[crazypoohbear]

Tonight my sisters and I went to our cities 350 birthday party.
The evening started with the "singing state trooper" from Mass. with his lovely wife.
They sang mostly old patriotic standards, Elvis, Lee greenwood. The old military standards.
Ending with The star spangled banner just before the fireworks started.
It made me kind of nostalgic and sad at the same time. It reminded me of being with my parents at the army bases and that was how every holiday was celebrated.
We had spent the day with my mom earlier in the day (she is in a nursing home with alzheimers) dad died 21 years ago.
Sitting in the field, listening to the music and watching the firewrorks brought back many memories of my childhood and at the same time made me sad becuase had mom not had this awful illness she would have been there with us, singing along and tapping her feet, clapping her hands being very proud to be an army wife.
Just as my sisters and I were proud to be army brats tonight.!
Emotional night, sad, proud, happy, nostalgic. It was good night! Mom and dad were there in spirit.

[PirateLover]

I definitely know what you mean. Nostalgia is such an odd feeling. On one hand you are remembering happy times and you can smile... on the other hand you get that pang in your chest knowing that you can never relive that moment, often times because the person involved has passed away. The root of the word itself comes from Greek... Nostos, meaning home and algos, meaning ache.

I also know what it's like to see a loved one fall victim to Alzhiemer's. What a wicked disease. It has been 8 years since my gram passed away due to complications, and I still think of her often and pray that I never see anyone go through that again. At our wedding for our favors, we made sizeable donations to the Alzheimer's Association, and the American Cancer Society in honor of our grandparents, and we put packets of Forget-Me-Nots in with some candy. It helped us know that they were with us in some way on that day.
God bless and don't let nostalgia get you down too much!

[ibrowse17]

Sounds nice. Air Force brat myself

[wdwfansince75]

Trying to do something positive, in memory and honor of loved ones, DW started a ministry some years ago. Her group (which now includes me, along with one or more of our DK's, and one or more of our DGK's) visits local adult care facilities, usually assisted living facilities, and we sing old hymns and some "Fun songs". For holidays, such as Memorial Day, July 4, and Veterans Day, we add/substitute appropriate songs. We visited one place on July 4th, when we changed our usual program to patriotic songs. DDiL was to end the program with a solo of The Lord's Prayer. Someone from the audience asked if she could sing the National Anthem...She asked if we could all sing it, so we did....and almost without exception, the residents stood up from their wheelchairs, and sang with us. I was reminded of Bayard Taylor's Song of the Camp...

"Voice after voice picked up the song,
Until its tender passion
Rose like an anthem rich and strong,
Their battle eve confession

Dear Girl, her name he dare not speak,
but as the song grew louder,
something upon the soldier's cheek
washed off the stain of powder."


He who sings to the Lord, prays twice!

[AvaNellMouse]

He who sings to the Lord, prays twice!

That is beautiful.

[PAYROLL PRINCESS]

It was a tear jerker of a night! Fun time though.

[AHOTE]

I’ve read through this thread a few times over the past week or so not only with the hope it may prepare me for my up coming trip to WDW but with the realization that it is something for which I cannot fully prepare. I saw many similarities to my recent life experiences in crazypoohbear and Piratelover’s posting.
I left my job in September of 2008 to take on what would become the most difficult and rewarding job I’ve ever had. I became the sole full time care giver for my mother.
Mom has Alzheimer’s disease and over the course of the past 2 years I’ve watched as she has gone from being an active, involved loving family member to a frail shell of a woman who now remembers little of her life. Family, friends and acquaintances exist now in a jumble of intermixed thoughts and experiences. She spends hours waiting for long departed family members to return, enjoys watching all the new shows on TV, there are after all no reruns, and she wonders why she can no longer dial just 5 digits to make a phone call.
There are occasions when a little bit of who she was shows through, like the day she “found” her Mickey Mouse umbrella hanging in the closet. She looked at it, then at me and she asked if I remembered her holding it high above her head, she said “like Mary Poppins” She remembered skipping down Main Street after a rain. She was 80 at the time. I really need to find that photo. As that memory faded she looked at me through empty eyes and asked me if I knew when her son was going to return. She said he was going to need an umbrella soon.
It will not be an easy trip and I know that. This trip is much needed and I know I have to do for me. I have no regrets and I know I’ve done all that I could possible do for her. I will soon place her in a facility that I know will provide excellent care of her.
Our shared family memories and experiences will pop up as I make my way though each day at WDW. I will be sad, I may cry but I will laugh and I will be happy and I will take that umbrella with me but I don’t see myself skipping down Main Street!

[Disney Hungarian]

I’ve read through this thread a few times over the past week or so not only with the hope it may prepare me for my up coming trip to WDW but with the realization that it is something for which I cannot fully prepare. I saw many similarities to my recent life experiences in crazypoohbear and Piratelover’s posting.
I left my job in September of 2008 to take on what would become the most difficult and rewarding job I’ve ever had. I became the sole full time care giver for my mother.
Mom has Alzheimer’s disease and over the course of the past 2 years I’ve watched as she has gone from being an active, involved loving family member to a frail shell of a woman who now remembers little of her life. Family, friends and acquaintances exist now in a jumble of intermixed thoughts and experiences. She spends hours waiting for long departed family members to return, enjoys watching all the new shows on TV, there are after all no reruns, and she wonders why she can no longer dial just 5 digits to make a phone call.
There are occasions when a little bit of who she was shows through, like the day she “found” her Mickey Mouse umbrella hanging in the closet. She looked at it, then at me and she asked if I remembered her holding it high above her head, she said “like Mary Poppins” She remembered skipping down Main Street after a rain. She was 80 at the time. I really need to find that photo. As that memory faded she looked at me through empty eyes and asked me if I knew when her son was going to return. She said he was going to need an umbrella soon.
It will not be an easy trip and I know that. This trip is much needed and I know I have to do for me. I have no regrets and I know I’ve done all that I could possible do for her. I will soon place her in a facility that I know will provide excellent care of her.
Our shared family memories and experiences will pop up as I make my way though each day at WDW. I will be sad, I may cry but I will laugh and I will be happy and I will take that umbrella with me but I don’t see myself skipping down Main Street!

Bill,
I just got back from taking my mother, who I am the 24/7 caregiver also. I can only tell you that this may be the hardest and most rewarding moments of your life. It can be joyful and and the next moment gut-wrenchingly sad. I would not trade the moments I had last week with my mom for any of the other moments I have had with her so far. It is hard to explain, I have no words to describe the experience. I can only say, "I feel your pain". I know what you are going to go through and I know you will have the best memories from this trip. May God bless you!