A Gift From a Friend

Yesterday (Sunday, Jan. 20th), a dear friend spoke about a book she wrote exploring her deep relationship with her husband and his slow (6 year) decline into the shadows of Alzheimer's disease.  Scary? Yes. Painful? At times. Exhausting? Yes. BUT, like a break in a storm swept sky when sun pours through even for just a few moments, the journey into what could be hell became for her and her husband a voyage about love, compassion, and the realization that life is just exactly what it is at the time that it is. Is that double talk, you might ask. No, definitely not. Your life is right now at this very moment although we attempt to hold onto the past and project into the future.  Her husband did his best to avoid that slippery game of pastness by embracing where he was at the very moment as painful and scary as it might have been.
What a lesson for all of us, Alzheimer's  or not.  Our reality is right now.  Our sense of compassion begins with ourselves and only then can extend to others.
Thank you Olivia. Thank you Hob.
The book:  THE MAJESTY OF YOUR LOVING.   Get a copy. Now!
~Ray