Lis, this is beautiful and achingly hard. Thank you for sharing. I've heard Alzheimers refered to as "the long goodbye". How wonderful that your life long friend gave you the opportunity to realise the need to "spend time with" and so see the reality of your Mum that likely wasn't yet evident on the phone. How beautiful that you took steps to enter into that long goodbye with your Mum, as difficult as it must have been. Your writing is great. I felt you believing your Mum Every. Single. Time. Thank you again for sharing and I love your call to kindness 😊
Thank you so much for your kind and tender words, which are sincerely appreciated. I will always be grateful to my lifelong friend for making the phone call that told me what I wasn't yet ready to hear.
Yes, "The Long Goodbye" is so very fitting for those who are steeped in the everyday moments of dementia and Alzheimer's. I felt as though I was losing pieces of my Mom with each passing visit, and even though I wished to stop the clock, I knew we were heading down an irreparable and terribly painful path.
I hold fast to all the beautiful moments we shared, and thankfully, there were so many.
You are most welcome for sharing this story, and I'm so glad our paths have crossed. Wishing you much peace and beauty in the days to come. 💖💖💖
I’m just truly happy to share you and your beautiful essay with my readers. Connecting people is one of the things I love most about what I do here on Substack.
Thank you so much, Jeannie! Connecting with you and your readers has been a true gift, and I've thoroughly enjoyed the conversations we've had around dementia and Alzheimer's. 💖💖💖
Wonderful! Your support and enthusiasm mean the world to me. I’m currently in the midst of an artistic endeavor, and as soon as that is underway, I’m going to pursue Listening Hearts. 💖💖💖
In some ways, I was blessed not to worry about ALZ with my parents as they passed so young. I worked in a nursing home with a lot of ALZ and cognitive decline patients who had no one left to be able to care about them let alone for them. But as I grow older and notice "sundown syndrome", and many of my friends' parents are in the throughs of this I try to support them as I can.
Andrea, presence is so powerful. One human standing beside another speaks volumes about the gift of oneself, one's heart. Thank you for doing this for so many people.
Dear Andrea. Thank you very much for sharing your experiences with Alzheimer's. Your words resonate deeply, as many of the residents I met, who were my mom's neighbors, rarely had visitors and carried the weight and pain of loneliness and burdens that were often too painful to share.
It's so lovely that you can provide support as your friends navigate such challenging times with their aging parents. Thank you very much for reaching out and commenting. I wish you much beauty and peace in the days to come.💖💖💖
Both of my parents had dementia along with other health concerns. My dad’s was hard for me because I hadn’t seen it before. Some behaviors were comical. Others were frightening. Singing with him made a connection so he kind of knew who I was. His death hurt me tremendously. My mom’s dementia lasted longer than my dad’s. She didn’t know who I was and forgot that I was in the next room when I came to visit her. Her death wasn’t as hard on me because she was already “gone” for so long for me.
Thank you very much for sharing these tender experiences around dementia with me. As a musician, I loved hearing about how music helped your Dad come back to himself. I believe it is such a tremendous heartache when a parent is no longer able to recognize their children. Deep and heavy sigh… I sincerely appreciate you reaching out, and I'm sending you peace, light, and love on waves of gratitude. 💖💖💖
The long goodbye, I think Melanie wrote in one of the comments here, Aline. Sounds like you lived that long goodbye especially with your mom. I've heard that music does access a certain part of the brain that transcends the disease, so it's beautiful you were able to share singing with your dad.
That is beautifully expressed. I don’t have this kind of experience, but I hear the waves of tenderness flowing through. Thank you for enlightening me in such a loving way.
You are most welcome, Jane. Thank you very much for taking the time to read and comment on 'The Carnival Maze of Alzheimer's. Your kind words are sincerely appreciated. Wishing you much beauty and peace in the days to come.💖🤗💖
It’s a gift to be told that my space here is a “beautiful and safe place for words to land,” Lis, because that’s exactly what I hope for every day I show up here.
Hello, Stephanie. Thank you very much for your kind words about The carnival maze of Alzheimer's, and I sincerely appreciate your subscription to Savor Life Studio. May the coming days be filled with much beauty and peace, and it's a pleasure meeting you. 💖💖💖
Thank you very much for your kind words and for sharing about your Aunt and mum. I loved hearing about the tender grace and understanding you gifted both of your relatives.
When you wrote, "It was very hard for the family," I have deep empathy for the pathways you and your family members traveled within the realms of dementia and Alzheimer's.
What a gift of kindness, Carol Ann, that you gave your loved ones. I have seen people make fun of those with dementia, and I have seen people get irritated when a person with dementia repeats themselves. It always hurt me so badly to witness that. So the fact that you let your loved ones simply talk and you patiently sat with them—that’s a real gift.
Something in this piece made me think about how we glorify endurance. Caregiving is often framed as noble, but reading your story reminded me that it’s also profoundly human to hit limits. I wonder if part of true love is knowing when to stop holding it all together. You mentioned using every tool in your well-being kit, and still crying in the car. That was profound to me. Maybe the crying was the tool that mattered most.
I don’t know that we talk enough about how strength and collapse coexist. Your honesty gives permission for that. 🩵
Ah, Alex! “We glorify endurance” and “caregiving is often framed as noble.” You hit the target there. I’m so glad you were able to find these insights in what Lis shared. Her guest piece really touched a lot of people, as I knew it would.
You are right—people often look at caregivers as these inspirational figures, but we are really often living on the edge of burnout constantly. Trying to meet these ideals of this noble person can be quite suffocating, in my experience.
Thanks for offering this lovely affirmation for Lis!
Your words resonate deeply, as I have always been one to "endure" and follow a long-instilled mantra of "Get 'er done" no matter what the cost.
When I found myself needing to make decisions for my life as well as my Mothers, the stress levels were like a barometer before an approaching storm. Some days were smooth sailing, and others felt as though my own life was nowhere to be found. And those were the days when, crying in the car or shedding tears on the hour-long drive home, restored some balance.
I believe there is a desperate need for support groups around Alzheimer's and dementia care. A place where people can safely "collapse" and have a few minutes where they are not tasked with being strong, every single moment.
Thank you very much for gifting me your words and this time to reflect.
Wishing you much peace and beauty in the days to come. 💖💖💖
Lis, you raise an important point here—are there support groups for caregivers of loved ones with dementia or Alzheimer’s? I imagine there must be, somewhere, but I’m not aware of any in my region.
It’s such wisdom you share, too, that crying “restored balance” for you.
Thank you, Jeannie. I do not know of any support groups for caregivers of loved ones with dementia or Alzheimer's in my region.
I am considering starting a group that I'd like to call 'Listening Hearts' where attendees share, and group members listen without giving advice. Non-judgment will be one of the principles. I am currently in the brainstorming phase of the project, but my goal is to create a safe space where people can share their joys and sorrows within a compassionate and kind environment.
In his retirement, my Father volunteered for a program called the 'Listening Room' and he would sit and listen to people share about anything/everything that was on their mind.
I'd like to know if there is a need in my community for such a group.💖
This is such a great concept, Lis. Are you thinking of doing this locally, in person, or as a virtual option, or both? I honestly think it is MUCH NEEDED.
Thank you, Jeannie. I sincerely appreciate your encouragement. I'm thinking about starting an in-person group in my hometown, but I would also be interested in doing something virtually. 💖💖💖
As my friend, an old retired Navy Chief, used to say, “Well done, and done well.” I recognize a deep dive these days when I hear one, and yours was so beautifully said, Lis. My experience with my Mom was quite the opposite; we had only 3+ months from the date of her ovarian cancer diagnosis to the day she died, and she was a very young 73 with all her faculties. We never know how strong we are or how fierce our love is until it is tested, do we. Thank you so much for sharing your journey with The Mama as you both navigated her Alzheimer’s disease.
Thank you very much for your kind supportive words. I'm very sorry to hear about your loss and the circumstances around your Mother’s passing. How heartbreaking to only have 3+ months from her diagnosis to her passing.
It was therapeutic to write about this incredibly tender time in my life, and I sincerely hope that my words reach the hearts that need them most.
Thank you so much for reaching out and sharing with me. I'm glad our paths have crossed. 💖💖💖
This touched me to my core. My former husband was diagnosed a year ago as being in the early stages of Alzheimer's; my heart breaks for him and even more for my two daughters, who will bear the brunt of making the tough decisions and caring for him – right now from different states. His main coping mechanism has always been denial, and we're already seeing that, depending on the day, in his insistence that he'll "beat this," or that he's "fine" and doesn't have Alz, and that he can still do all the things he's always done. (He's almost 79, so this wouldn't be true even if he wasn't sick.) I worked in nursing home in my 20s and 30s, and I know we're in the "easy" part of this journey now, even if it doesn't always feel like it. Thank you for sharing your story. It gives me hope that my family will get through this with the grace and wisdom you've shown here.
Mary Jo, how heartbreaking to hear this. Thank you for sharing so honestly about the ups and downs with your former husband. I think this kind of grief is particular and layered, which Lis did such a fantastic job of writing about in her essay. I'm so glad it spoke to your heart and what you're going through.
Such a pleasure to have the chance to connect all these common threads of the heart, Lis. If I can be the one to do that, I feel I’ve done a good job of my life. XO
Thank you very much for your kind words. I'm so glad to know that my experiences with Alzheimer's have resonated with you.
I'm very sorry to hear that your former husband is now navigating this disease, and that your daughters will be walking beside him through this very tender and often challenging time in his life.
When my Mom was in the early stages of Alzheimer's, I took her on long drives and asked her questions about her life. I used my phone to record those sessions and we both treasured those outings. In between our visits, I would type up all that she had told me. After many months, I had recorded most of her life story, and only a year later, I don't believe she would have been able to share stories with such depth and recall.
This is one possible way for your daughters to make the most of connecting with their Father while he is able. One of the silver linings of those outings is that as her memory declined, I could read these stories to her about her life, and for a time, she thoroughly enjoyed hearing her life stories read aloud.
I'm sending so much light and love around all that your family is dealing with around Alzheimer's, and may peace be your steady guide and companion throughout the journey. 💖💖💖
Thank you for your kindness and caring, Lis. I will definitely pass on your wisdom and advice to my daughters. (I love that you recorded her life stories!) Your Mom was lucky to have such an insightful daughter to help guide her through the last difficult chapter of her life.
Thank you very much, Mary Jo, for your kind words. I'm incredibly grateful for all the experiences I shared with my mom, even the painful ones, as they taught me what I needed to learn.
May your week be filled with much beauty and peace. I just subscribed to your Substack, and I'm looking forward to reading and enjoying your posts. 💖💖💖
Lis, thank you for sharing this beautiful and achingly honest account of walking alongside your mother through Alzheimer's. Your words captured so much of what I've been feeling since recently losing my stepfather to this disease.
The layers you described—especially that awareness they have in the early stages, knowing something is slipping away—resonated deeply with me. It's such a particular kind of heartbreak, watching someone you love become bewildered in their own mind, trapped in that carnival maze you described so perfectly.
Your gratitude in the midst of it all is remarkable. I'm still finding my way to that place, but your story reminds me that there were moments of presence and connection even in the hardest days, and those matter immensely.
Thank you for creating this space to talk about what Alzheimer's really does to families. We need more of these honest conversations.
Charlotte, I want to thank you for sharing about this so openly in this space. Lis was able to provide that open door for those who are hurting from this kind of grief to walk through. I'm deeply sorry to hear about how you lost your stepfather to Alzheimer's. I'm also grateful for your presence and what you shared here today.
I'm very sorry for your recent loss and sincerely appreciate your reaching out and sharing with me about your experiences with Alzheimer's.
I'm glad to know that some of the words have resonated with you.
How wonderful that you also experienced moments of presence and connection amidst the challenges with your stepfather, as those are truly the moments I come back to over and over again.
I would have significantly benefited from an Alzheimer's support group, and I hope that one day such groups will become the norm.
Thank you for your kind and generous words. May the coming days be filled with much beauty and joy. I'm so glad our paths have crossed. 💖🤗💖
I also found this element within dementia to be devastating. I remember having a conversation with my Mom and realizing she would no longer be able to hold my words in the same way she used to, nor could she provide the feedback and pearls of wisdom my heart was yearning for.
I'm sorry for your loss, and I sincerely appreciate you reaching out. I wish you much beauty and peace in the days to come. 💖🤗💖
This was so detailed, economically told, and moving. Jeannie, you picked a real winner when you invited Lis to join you for a guest post. I subscribed as soon as I finished reading this. ❤️!
Thank you very much, Rafael, for your kind and beautiful words. I sincerely appreciate your subscription to Savor Life Studio, and may the coming days be filled with much beauty and peace. 💖💖💖
Lis, this is beautiful and achingly hard. Thank you for sharing. I've heard Alzheimers refered to as "the long goodbye". How wonderful that your life long friend gave you the opportunity to realise the need to "spend time with" and so see the reality of your Mum that likely wasn't yet evident on the phone. How beautiful that you took steps to enter into that long goodbye with your Mum, as difficult as it must have been. Your writing is great. I felt you believing your Mum Every. Single. Time. Thank you again for sharing and I love your call to kindness 😊
Dear Melanie.
Thank you so much for your kind and tender words, which are sincerely appreciated. I will always be grateful to my lifelong friend for making the phone call that told me what I wasn't yet ready to hear.
Yes, "The Long Goodbye" is so very fitting for those who are steeped in the everyday moments of dementia and Alzheimer's. I felt as though I was losing pieces of my Mom with each passing visit, and even though I wished to stop the clock, I knew we were heading down an irreparable and terribly painful path.
I hold fast to all the beautiful moments we shared, and thankfully, there were so many.
You are most welcome for sharing this story, and I'm so glad our paths have crossed. Wishing you much peace and beauty in the days to come. 💖💖💖
I'm so glad Lis's story touched your heart today, Melanie. Thank you for supporting her journey.
Thank you so much, Jeannie, for your soul-filling support and kind words. Wishing you much peace, light, and love in the days to come. 💖💖💖
I’m just truly happy to share you and your beautiful essay with my readers. Connecting people is one of the things I love most about what I do here on Substack.
Thank you so much, Jeannie! Connecting with you and your readers has been a true gift, and I've thoroughly enjoyed the conversations we've had around dementia and Alzheimer's. 💖💖💖
I do, too, Lis. I sincerely mean it when I say I’d love for you to keep me posted about the support group idea, if it comes to materialize.
Wonderful! Your support and enthusiasm mean the world to me. I’m currently in the midst of an artistic endeavor, and as soon as that is underway, I’m going to pursue Listening Hearts. 💖💖💖
In some ways, I was blessed not to worry about ALZ with my parents as they passed so young. I worked in a nursing home with a lot of ALZ and cognitive decline patients who had no one left to be able to care about them let alone for them. But as I grow older and notice "sundown syndrome", and many of my friends' parents are in the throughs of this I try to support them as I can.
Andrea, presence is so powerful. One human standing beside another speaks volumes about the gift of oneself, one's heart. Thank you for doing this for so many people.
Dear Andrea. Thank you very much for sharing your experiences with Alzheimer's. Your words resonate deeply, as many of the residents I met, who were my mom's neighbors, rarely had visitors and carried the weight and pain of loneliness and burdens that were often too painful to share.
It's so lovely that you can provide support as your friends navigate such challenging times with their aging parents. Thank you very much for reaching out and commenting. I wish you much beauty and peace in the days to come.💖💖💖
Thank you for sharing your story Lis and for the quote "Lead with kindness and I will follow" Beautiful
Dear Doreen.
Thank you very much for your kind words. I'm so glad to know "Lead with kindness and I will follow" resonated with you.
I sincerely appreciate you reaching out and I wish you much beauty and peace in the coming days. 💖🤗💖
Both of my parents had dementia along with other health concerns. My dad’s was hard for me because I hadn’t seen it before. Some behaviors were comical. Others were frightening. Singing with him made a connection so he kind of knew who I was. His death hurt me tremendously. My mom’s dementia lasted longer than my dad’s. She didn’t know who I was and forgot that I was in the next room when I came to visit her. Her death wasn’t as hard on me because she was already “gone” for so long for me.
Dear Aline.
Thank you very much for sharing these tender experiences around dementia with me. As a musician, I loved hearing about how music helped your Dad come back to himself. I believe it is such a tremendous heartache when a parent is no longer able to recognize their children. Deep and heavy sigh… I sincerely appreciate you reaching out, and I'm sending you peace, light, and love on waves of gratitude. 💖💖💖
The long goodbye, I think Melanie wrote in one of the comments here, Aline. Sounds like you lived that long goodbye especially with your mom. I've heard that music does access a certain part of the brain that transcends the disease, so it's beautiful you were able to share singing with your dad.
That is beautifully expressed. I don’t have this kind of experience, but I hear the waves of tenderness flowing through. Thank you for enlightening me in such a loving way.
You are most welcome, Jane. Thank you very much for taking the time to read and comment on 'The Carnival Maze of Alzheimer's. Your kind words are sincerely appreciated. Wishing you much beauty and peace in the days to come.💖🤗💖
Thanks so much for reading and supporting Lis today, Jane!
Thank you so much, Jeannie, for making such a beautiful and safe place for my words to land! 💖🤗💖
It’s a gift to be told that my space here is a “beautiful and safe place for words to land,” Lis, because that’s exactly what I hope for every day I show up here.
Loved this and I subbed!
Hello, Stephanie. Thank you very much for your kind words about The carnival maze of Alzheimer's, and I sincerely appreciate your subscription to Savor Life Studio. May the coming days be filled with much beauty and peace, and it's a pleasure meeting you. 💖💖💖
Awesome, Stephanie! I'm so happy to share Lis's work here.
My Aunt had Alzheimer’s and it was very hard for the family.
My mum had senile dementia and that, too, was hard for the family.
Whatever they wanted to speak about, we just let them go ahead, without stressing or making them aware something was wrong.
Thank you for this thread today.
Kindest regards and the deepest respect
Carol Power
Johannesburg
South Africa
Dear Carol,
Thank you very much for your kind words and for sharing about your Aunt and mum. I loved hearing about the tender grace and understanding you gifted both of your relatives.
When you wrote, "It was very hard for the family," I have deep empathy for the pathways you and your family members traveled within the realms of dementia and Alzheimer's.
Sending you peace, light and love. 💖💖💖
What a gift of kindness, Carol Ann, that you gave your loved ones. I have seen people make fun of those with dementia, and I have seen people get irritated when a person with dementia repeats themselves. It always hurt me so badly to witness that. So the fact that you let your loved ones simply talk and you patiently sat with them—that’s a real gift.
Something in this piece made me think about how we glorify endurance. Caregiving is often framed as noble, but reading your story reminded me that it’s also profoundly human to hit limits. I wonder if part of true love is knowing when to stop holding it all together. You mentioned using every tool in your well-being kit, and still crying in the car. That was profound to me. Maybe the crying was the tool that mattered most.
I don’t know that we talk enough about how strength and collapse coexist. Your honesty gives permission for that. 🩵
Ah, Alex! “We glorify endurance” and “caregiving is often framed as noble.” You hit the target there. I’m so glad you were able to find these insights in what Lis shared. Her guest piece really touched a lot of people, as I knew it would.
You are right—people often look at caregivers as these inspirational figures, but we are really often living on the edge of burnout constantly. Trying to meet these ideals of this noble person can be quite suffocating, in my experience.
Thanks for offering this lovely affirmation for Lis!
Dear Alexander.
Your words resonate deeply, as I have always been one to "endure" and follow a long-instilled mantra of "Get 'er done" no matter what the cost.
When I found myself needing to make decisions for my life as well as my Mothers, the stress levels were like a barometer before an approaching storm. Some days were smooth sailing, and others felt as though my own life was nowhere to be found. And those were the days when, crying in the car or shedding tears on the hour-long drive home, restored some balance.
I believe there is a desperate need for support groups around Alzheimer's and dementia care. A place where people can safely "collapse" and have a few minutes where they are not tasked with being strong, every single moment.
Thank you very much for gifting me your words and this time to reflect.
Wishing you much peace and beauty in the days to come. 💖💖💖
Lis, you raise an important point here—are there support groups for caregivers of loved ones with dementia or Alzheimer’s? I imagine there must be, somewhere, but I’m not aware of any in my region.
It’s such wisdom you share, too, that crying “restored balance” for you.
Thank you, Jeannie. I do not know of any support groups for caregivers of loved ones with dementia or Alzheimer's in my region.
I am considering starting a group that I'd like to call 'Listening Hearts' where attendees share, and group members listen without giving advice. Non-judgment will be one of the principles. I am currently in the brainstorming phase of the project, but my goal is to create a safe space where people can share their joys and sorrows within a compassionate and kind environment.
In his retirement, my Father volunteered for a program called the 'Listening Room' and he would sit and listen to people share about anything/everything that was on their mind.
I'd like to know if there is a need in my community for such a group.💖
This is such a great concept, Lis. Are you thinking of doing this locally, in person, or as a virtual option, or both? I honestly think it is MUCH NEEDED.
Thank you, Jeannie. I sincerely appreciate your encouragement. I'm thinking about starting an in-person group in my hometown, but I would also be interested in doing something virtually. 💖💖💖
Keep me posted on this. I’m here if you want to bounce ideas around, too. Happy to support you.
As my friend, an old retired Navy Chief, used to say, “Well done, and done well.” I recognize a deep dive these days when I hear one, and yours was so beautifully said, Lis. My experience with my Mom was quite the opposite; we had only 3+ months from the date of her ovarian cancer diagnosis to the day she died, and she was a very young 73 with all her faculties. We never know how strong we are or how fierce our love is until it is tested, do we. Thank you so much for sharing your journey with The Mama as you both navigated her Alzheimer’s disease.
Wow, Heather, “we never know how strong or fierce our love is until it's tested” is quite profound. So glad this essay from Lis touched your heart.
Dear Heather.
Thank you very much for your kind supportive words. I'm very sorry to hear about your loss and the circumstances around your Mother’s passing. How heartbreaking to only have 3+ months from her diagnosis to her passing.
It was therapeutic to write about this incredibly tender time in my life, and I sincerely hope that my words reach the hearts that need them most.
Thank you so much for reaching out and sharing with me. I'm glad our paths have crossed. 💖💖💖
This touched me to my core. My former husband was diagnosed a year ago as being in the early stages of Alzheimer's; my heart breaks for him and even more for my two daughters, who will bear the brunt of making the tough decisions and caring for him – right now from different states. His main coping mechanism has always been denial, and we're already seeing that, depending on the day, in his insistence that he'll "beat this," or that he's "fine" and doesn't have Alz, and that he can still do all the things he's always done. (He's almost 79, so this wouldn't be true even if he wasn't sick.) I worked in nursing home in my 20s and 30s, and I know we're in the "easy" part of this journey now, even if it doesn't always feel like it. Thank you for sharing your story. It gives me hope that my family will get through this with the grace and wisdom you've shown here.
Mary Jo, how heartbreaking to hear this. Thank you for sharing so honestly about the ups and downs with your former husband. I think this kind of grief is particular and layered, which Lis did such a fantastic job of writing about in her essay. I'm so glad it spoke to your heart and what you're going through.
Thank you, Jeannie. For your compassion and for bringing Lis to your subscribers!
Yes! What a joy it is to know that my readers connected with Lis and her story, Mary Jo. :)
Thank you very much, Jeannie. I have treasured the connections with your readers, and I'm truly grateful for the opportunity to be a guest writer. 💖💖💖
Such a pleasure to have the chance to connect all these common threads of the heart, Lis. If I can be the one to do that, I feel I’ve done a good job of my life. XO
Indeed, Jeannie! You surely have connected "common threads of the heart," and I'm sincerely grateful. 💖💖💖
Dear Mary Jo.
Thank you very much for your kind words. I'm so glad to know that my experiences with Alzheimer's have resonated with you.
I'm very sorry to hear that your former husband is now navigating this disease, and that your daughters will be walking beside him through this very tender and often challenging time in his life.
When my Mom was in the early stages of Alzheimer's, I took her on long drives and asked her questions about her life. I used my phone to record those sessions and we both treasured those outings. In between our visits, I would type up all that she had told me. After many months, I had recorded most of her life story, and only a year later, I don't believe she would have been able to share stories with such depth and recall.
This is one possible way for your daughters to make the most of connecting with their Father while he is able. One of the silver linings of those outings is that as her memory declined, I could read these stories to her about her life, and for a time, she thoroughly enjoyed hearing her life stories read aloud.
I'm sending so much light and love around all that your family is dealing with around Alzheimer's, and may peace be your steady guide and companion throughout the journey. 💖💖💖
Thank you for your kindness and caring, Lis. I will definitely pass on your wisdom and advice to my daughters. (I love that you recorded her life stories!) Your Mom was lucky to have such an insightful daughter to help guide her through the last difficult chapter of her life.
Thank you very much, Mary Jo, for your kind words. I'm incredibly grateful for all the experiences I shared with my mom, even the painful ones, as they taught me what I needed to learn.
May your week be filled with much beauty and peace. I just subscribed to your Substack, and I'm looking forward to reading and enjoying your posts. 💖💖💖
Lis, thank you for sharing this beautiful and achingly honest account of walking alongside your mother through Alzheimer's. Your words captured so much of what I've been feeling since recently losing my stepfather to this disease.
The layers you described—especially that awareness they have in the early stages, knowing something is slipping away—resonated deeply with me. It's such a particular kind of heartbreak, watching someone you love become bewildered in their own mind, trapped in that carnival maze you described so perfectly.
Your gratitude in the midst of it all is remarkable. I'm still finding my way to that place, but your story reminds me that there were moments of presence and connection even in the hardest days, and those matter immensely.
Thank you for creating this space to talk about what Alzheimer's really does to families. We need more of these honest conversations.
Charlotte, I want to thank you for sharing about this so openly in this space. Lis was able to provide that open door for those who are hurting from this kind of grief to walk through. I'm deeply sorry to hear about how you lost your stepfather to Alzheimer's. I'm also grateful for your presence and what you shared here today.
Dear Charlotte.
I'm very sorry for your recent loss and sincerely appreciate your reaching out and sharing with me about your experiences with Alzheimer's.
I'm glad to know that some of the words have resonated with you.
How wonderful that you also experienced moments of presence and connection amidst the challenges with your stepfather, as those are truly the moments I come back to over and over again.
I would have significantly benefited from an Alzheimer's support group, and I hope that one day such groups will become the norm.
Thank you for your kind and generous words. May the coming days be filled with much beauty and joy. I'm so glad our paths have crossed. 💖🤗💖
Poignant.
Thank you very much, Cheryl. I sincerely appreciate you reading and commenting, and I wish you much beauty and peace in the coming days. 💖🤗💖
My mother had dementia. It is watching the woman you once knew slowly disappearing that I found hard.
Indeed, Nancy!
I also found this element within dementia to be devastating. I remember having a conversation with my Mom and realizing she would no longer be able to hold my words in the same way she used to, nor could she provide the feedback and pearls of wisdom my heart was yearning for.
I'm sorry for your loss, and I sincerely appreciate you reaching out. I wish you much beauty and peace in the days to come. 💖🤗💖
Thanks for sharing that, Nancy. I didn't know that about you. Sending love to you today.
This was so detailed, economically told, and moving. Jeannie, you picked a real winner when you invited Lis to join you for a guest post. I subscribed as soon as I finished reading this. ❤️!
Thank you very much, Rafael, for your kind and beautiful words. I sincerely appreciate your subscription to Savor Life Studio, and may the coming days be filled with much beauty and peace. 💖💖💖
That's fantastic news, Rafael! I always love hearing when one of my guests gets new subscribers through my space.
💖💖💖