A Big Change

Dean really has to be improving for me to take him where we went this afternoon. It was an Alzheimer's support group that meets socially at a small cafe near our house every month to have pie and just share each others' company. It was the first time we have attended, and those "first times" are always hardest for me, it seems.  Consequently, I have put it off for months now, simply because I wasn't sure if Dean would fit in, would stay awake, or would become frustrated with...well, almost anything.

But Dean did wonderfully well in interacting with the small group, all seated about two big tables, pushed together for the dozen or so of us. We were about half and half caregivers and those with dementia, so it was a perfect mix for some lively conversation and some excellent pie. Dean and I shared a sour cream raisin slice.

And Dean, of course, held up his end of the conversation well. The storyteller in him was rejoicing with his fresh audience, and it was clear to see that Dean was in his element, telling about heating our home exclusively with a wood stove (which we did in the 70s), and about his brother, a mason by trade, refusing to finish the fireplace in his own home, because the tax auditor told him a finished fireplace would increase their taxes too much. Yep, these brothers were definitely cut from the same cloth.

What gave me the courage to venture out with Dean today was a comment, relayed to me by the director of his adult day program. One of the staff there, who has known him the longest, made the statement that she sees the "old Dean" back. That was so comforting to hear. Up until that point, I felt like the only one noticing the change since we cut off one of his medicines, but it was great to hear it confirmed.

I'm really looking forward to the day when I really have the "old Dean" back. The one before his tractor accident, the one before sin entered his life, the one that he will have for eternity. "...for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." I Corinthians 15:52

Don't Make Me Change

Dean went to the dentist this week to be fitted for a partial, in lieu of getting a couple of teeth on the bottom extracted here soon. I've forewarned them that he most likely wouldn't wear the partial, but since it's required by our insurance that he have it, we'll give it a try.

While we're at it, they're going to take a look at his upper teeth (the kind in a jar) and make sure they would fit with them, in the wild chance that he would actually begin to wear them again too. Fortunately, I have found both his partials here at home (he's been through two now) and will now take them in for a fitting.

The reason I am skeptical about his wearing anything artificial is the track record he's had with that over the last few years since his brain injury. First it was hearing aids. Got him the best, professionally fine-tuned device we could get to make up for some of the hearing he lost after the tractor accident. But he barely wore them one day, before retiring them to a box on his dresser. It's probably there still under the mountains of other items he has planted there.

Then there has been leg braces to help with his drop foot. The first two, I'll admit were very cumbersome and he absolutely refused to wear them. We got lucky with the last one though. It's streamlined enough that he hasn't minded it too much. Only wears it when he has to though.

I've come to the conclusion that it's change that Dean is so resistant to. His adjustment abilities are quite minimal. We did have one victory on this front yesterday though. He went to a barber shop and got rid of a bunch of head hair. Only wish he'd consented to having some facial hair removed too. But maybe someday I'll see that.

I hope I'm open to change when it comes to spiritual matters. It's vitally important to be open to new spiritual truth, while at the same time, resistant to false teachings. I just pray I will know the difference.

Unused Gifts

I was dreading this  morning's dentist visit with Dean. The receptionist called me last week and said, after talking with the university dentists that his regular dentist would like Dean and I to come in for a consultation about his teeth. She said it appeared he may have to have his lower teeth pulled.

I mentally gasped at this possibility, since Dean only has eight bottom teeth left in his whole mouth. His main pleasure in living is to eat. How he is able to gum his food enough with no teeth on top is beyond me already. And with no teeth at all, I was picturing crock pot soups being on our menu almost every day and having to cook the life out of our vegetables even more than I already am, so he can chew them easier.

Thankfully, the outlook was modified some after speaking with the dentist herself today. They were only going to take out two teeth for now and provide him with a partial to take their place. Dean was not entirely satisfied with this prospect either, but he seems at least to have accepted his fate and agree to the procedure.

He didn't promise he'd wear the partial though. I could have predicted that. We have two sets of dentures at home somewhere collecting dust, because he refuses to wear them. And they are keeping company with state-of-the-art hearing aids on his dresser and two leg braces in the closet, just waiting for the man they were fitted for to wear them. Change is not his friend. I give the partial only partial odds, maybe 20% or so, of being in his mouth more than twice.

I wonder how many of God's gifts I have just laying around, waiting for me to use them. Are they becoming dust magnets, while I struggle along with my infirmities, ignoring the fact that help is practically at my fingertips? God's blessings and gifts are right under my nose. I just have to decide to use them. I rather think the change they would bring to my life would be of the positive variety. The odds are good for that. Like 100%.

Getting Turned Around

I'm hoping to share my thoughts and insights with others with this blog. It's a new avenue for me to accomplish this. But I'm hoping others will benefit from my "Teresa Talk" as much as I have benefited from others' blogs.

 First I must confess that autumn is my least favorite season, maybe because it speaks so much about the coming winter. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind winter too much, except that it makes the roads and sidewalks slippery.

Did anyone ever hear about my adventure going to a women's church  meeting one night and my car which I was driving did a complete cookie/circle on the corner of S. 48th and O St.?!!! I mean I was suddenly facing the oncoming traffic and had that weird feeling when you realize that you are faced totally opposite the world around you. Fortunately, I was driving slow enough that it all happened like in slow-motion, so my passenger and I suffered nothing but our hearts in our throats for a few seconds. I do credit her for being brave enough to ride with me after that though. As a matter of fact, the memory has been a source of amusement for us both.

Thinking back on it, I'm thankful that the Lord turns us around totally when we need it. We'd all better get used to going opposite those around us if we want to follow that radical, rebel, rabble-rouser of a guy called Jesus! He'll turn your world around too!!!