He hardly speaks. Today, during my usual morning visit on the second floor, I saw him coming towards me. Would he like me to join him, I wondered? Peter looked at me intently, with an almost smile, and I took it as a yes. Walking by his side, I made sure to match my pace exactly to his. A walking meditation, and a communion without words. Just as we turned around, there was Katerina, another resident. She was crying, and speaking in her own language. I stopped to comfort her with words I thought she might hear, and a hug.
"Thank you." Peter surprised me with his words, and the confirmation that the heart and the capacity for compassion are still very much alive in those whose memory is being challenged.
There is so much more than meets the eyes in the reality of the person with forgetfulness (otherwise known as dementia).
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lovely vignette!
ReplyDeleteAh, the mind is far deeper than our senses can fathom. Experiences with those whose minds occupy a different plane - the dying, those with various forms of "dementia", Downs' folks, the gifted... Thank you for sharing this beautiful image Marguerite.
ReplyDeleteSo dementia is a mind based problem, not a heart based problem leaving pure intention intact as shown today. Maybe just maybe, someone will take this as a sign to be more loving when they usually would just brush it all away.
ReplyDeleteYou probably should submit a story to:
http://www.kindnessthemovie.com/
so true. thank you. :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you Marguerite.
ReplyDeleteThank you, David! And my apologies to all those who left comments on this post earlier. Blogger has been experiencing some major problems, including swallowing previously published posts, and now comments . . .
ReplyDeleteImpermanence in action :)
Experience shows that the human soul is deeper than the sensible mind can fathom. In "dementia" like cases, Downs' folks, those near death, etc., it seems there is an awareness of a plane of life hidden from those of us who are so dependent on the physical senses. Thanks for sharing a great post.
ReplyDeleteHa ha joy!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful. There is something beyond the physical that connects us.
ReplyDeleteJBD, Pooja, D' Artagnan, thank you my friends for meeting in this joyful place of heart and soul.
ReplyDelete