Comments on: A Story and a Smile

By: Eve

Eve — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 22:26:06 +0000

Both my husband I and I have had grandmothers with Alzheimer’s/dementia. His grandmother was in her mid-eighties, living in a special Alzheimer’s nursing home and the most advanced stages before she died last March. My own grandmother is also in her eighties but is in the early stages of dementia and still able to live with my parents.

Both of our grandmothers created wonderful memories with us: lots of baking, cooking, playing games, sleepovers, going shopping and out for lunch and just spending time together. There were many days when I was young that I would have preferred to go to Grandma’s house than go play with a friend. I hope I can be the same kind of grandma to my future grandchildren as they were for my husband and I.

You are correct about dementia. It’s not only terrible to have to see what it does to person with the disease, but it also hurts to see what it does to the family. My husband’s grandma was pretty much catatonic by the time she passed and didn’t recognize anyone at all. My grandma still knows everyone, but gets flustered extremely easily and very beligerent.

I’m sorry for your loss and want to thank you for sharing Sam with us. I wish I could have met him myself.

To echo Asai, Godspeed, Mr. Granade. Thank you for making the world a better place.

By: jeanetta

jeanetta — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 14:58:19 +0000

well reading this made me do something i really hate ….. cry.
it made me think of all the great people and their great stoies that have pasted. and it also made me think of my grandmother who is sufering from dementia. since we have just moved back and are closer we canr eally notice it.
having to repeat every 5 minutes who i am and who my children are, even who my mom her daughters is.
then to see the realization appear on her face. that all these kids running around are her grand and great grand children.

By: Paul O'Brian

Paul O'Brian — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 05:40:00 +0000

Stephen, I love it when you open your heart like this and pour it forth in such a beautiful and eloquent way. Thank you for sharing this piece in so public a forum.

By: Asai

Asai — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 05:01:29 +0000

… and he now watches over us, making sure that we’re still ok…

Godspeed Mr. Granade…

By: Liza

Liza — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 02:52:31 +0000

This was wonderfully moving.

By: Lucian Smith

Lucian Smith — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 01:05:10 +0000

Aww. This is a great tribute. Thank you for letting us into his world, if only for a few paragraphs.

By: ctate

ctate — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 00:57:17 +0000

It seems a little presumptious to quote poetry after this wonderful memoriam, but I was reminded strongly of this poem by e. e. cummings:
———————–

rain or hail
sam done
the best he kin
till they digged his hole

:sam was a man

stout as a bridge
rugged as a bear
slickern a weazel
how be you

(sun or snow)

gone into what
like all them kings
you read about
and on him sings

a whippoorwill;

heart was big
as the world aint square
with room for the devil
and his angels too

yes,sir

what may be better
or what may be worse
and what may be clover
clover clover

(nobody’ll know)

sam was a man
grinned his grin
done his chores
laid him down.

Sleep well