Showing posts with label Appreciation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Appreciation. Show all posts
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Social
We have been busy and that is good.
Gregory has been spending his Tuesdays painting after a brief hiatis. He loves his time with Nancy Rosen www.nrosen.com and he continues to be as creative and prolific with his paining as ever.
Went to see "You Can't Take It With You," the movie, yesterday and on Friday look forward to seeing the play by the same name. The original Moss & Hart play premiered in the 1930's and it is one of our favorites. It is great living so close to Northwestern University and being able to benefit from the cultural experiences there.
Also at Northwestern, we attended an Opera Master Class with Nathan Gun, world renowned baritone. Five students from the graduate program at NWU each performed a piece and then Mr. Gun gave suggestions to guide their improvement.
We saw three operas in two weeks: Werther, Elektra, and Simone Boca Negra. All were at The Lyric Opera of Chicago where Gregory and I, volunteering during tech rehearsals, are entitled to see all of the season's dress rehearsals.
Going out to dinner tonight with neighborhood friends and again tomorrow to help a friend celebrate his 60th birthday.
Gregory has begun swimming again and is very pleased with himself. Ken and Ben, his companions join him at the pool and that has helped him to navigate getting from the condo downstairs to LA Fitness and back since he cannot do that on his own anymore.
For Thanksgiving we will be with Nancy Rosen's family. Her mom, Eileen, who lives in our building and is a good friend will be there as well.
Of course the day after Thanksgiving we will decorate for Christmas and begin baking. Busy hands are hands that do not wring themselves over Alzheimer's!
Gregory has been spending his Tuesdays painting after a brief hiatis. He loves his time with Nancy Rosen www.nrosen.com and he continues to be as creative and prolific with his paining as ever.
Went to see "You Can't Take It With You," the movie, yesterday and on Friday look forward to seeing the play by the same name. The original Moss & Hart play premiered in the 1930's and it is one of our favorites. It is great living so close to Northwestern University and being able to benefit from the cultural experiences there.
Also at Northwestern, we attended an Opera Master Class with Nathan Gun, world renowned baritone. Five students from the graduate program at NWU each performed a piece and then Mr. Gun gave suggestions to guide their improvement.
We saw three operas in two weeks: Werther, Elektra, and Simone Boca Negra. All were at The Lyric Opera of Chicago where Gregory and I, volunteering during tech rehearsals, are entitled to see all of the season's dress rehearsals.
Going out to dinner tonight with neighborhood friends and again tomorrow to help a friend celebrate his 60th birthday.
Gregory has begun swimming again and is very pleased with himself. Ken and Ben, his companions join him at the pool and that has helped him to navigate getting from the condo downstairs to LA Fitness and back since he cannot do that on his own anymore.
For Thanksgiving we will be with Nancy Rosen's family. Her mom, Eileen, who lives in our building and is a good friend will be there as well.
Of course the day after Thanksgiving we will decorate for Christmas and begin baking. Busy hands are hands that do not wring themselves over Alzheimer's!
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Thank You. This is for you.
We appreciate the many people in our life, Gregory's and mine, who are appropriately supportive and understanding of what we are living with.
It is appreciated and welcome knowing that their love and support are there for us.
It is appreciated that friendships continue even in the face of the difficulties of being with Gregory, experiencing the changes he is going through, and having to adjust one's own behavior on his behalf.
It is appreciated when a group of friends, heavy in conversation, screech to a halt when Gregory tries to add a thought. The group is comfortable sitting in silence while he processes, fumbles, false starts, and sometimes gets his thought out (or when finally I am able to verbalize it for him.)
It is appreciated when friends are able to "disappear" while I have to help Gregory through a situation like figuring out what is the problem, what are his needs, what is he trying to say, what does he want to have from the menu for dinner, etc.
It is appreciated when friends don't notice that he uses his fingers more while eating, when what he says makes no sense, when he cries easily, when he gets loudly emotional about something he feels strongly about.
It is appreciated when friends understand that I do not necessarily like to talk ALL the time. It is important to me that they realize that I have not only my stories to tell but that I am also in charge of telling Gregory's stories, hopes, desires, expectations, history.
It is appreciated when friends are able to take over for me by going to the bathroom with Gregory, or by making a suggestion, or by listening to him try to share an idea, by being interested in his art, by looking at a picture of something in a book which Gregory found interesting.
It is appreciated when friends offer to help. "I'm here for you if you need me." "What can we do to help?" "Is there something I can do." And even though it is appreciated, it is difficult to take the friend up on their offer. Friends have their own life to lead, have a job to go to, live across town or in another state, can't really be available on a moment's notice, cannot be a support in the day to day, minute to minute support that Gregory needs from waking in the morning until nodding off at night. But we are working on figuring out how friends can help. Maybe a movie date, or lunch out, or an overnighter?
Our friends are appreciated and loved in return.
It is appreciated and welcome knowing that their love and support are there for us.
It is appreciated that friendships continue even in the face of the difficulties of being with Gregory, experiencing the changes he is going through, and having to adjust one's own behavior on his behalf.
It is appreciated when a group of friends, heavy in conversation, screech to a halt when Gregory tries to add a thought. The group is comfortable sitting in silence while he processes, fumbles, false starts, and sometimes gets his thought out (or when finally I am able to verbalize it for him.)
It is appreciated when friends are able to "disappear" while I have to help Gregory through a situation like figuring out what is the problem, what are his needs, what is he trying to say, what does he want to have from the menu for dinner, etc.
It is appreciated when friends don't notice that he uses his fingers more while eating, when what he says makes no sense, when he cries easily, when he gets loudly emotional about something he feels strongly about.
It is appreciated when friends understand that I do not necessarily like to talk ALL the time. It is important to me that they realize that I have not only my stories to tell but that I am also in charge of telling Gregory's stories, hopes, desires, expectations, history.
It is appreciated when friends are able to take over for me by going to the bathroom with Gregory, or by making a suggestion, or by listening to him try to share an idea, by being interested in his art, by looking at a picture of something in a book which Gregory found interesting.
It is appreciated when friends offer to help. "I'm here for you if you need me." "What can we do to help?" "Is there something I can do." And even though it is appreciated, it is difficult to take the friend up on their offer. Friends have their own life to lead, have a job to go to, live across town or in another state, can't really be available on a moment's notice, cannot be a support in the day to day, minute to minute support that Gregory needs from waking in the morning until nodding off at night. But we are working on figuring out how friends can help. Maybe a movie date, or lunch out, or an overnighter?
Our friends are appreciated and loved in return.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Its the little things...
It is the little things that do matter in helping to keep Gregory active, involved, respected, and loved. Letting him help as often as possible, even in little ways, helps give him purpose and the sense of sharing our daily life. It helps him to depend on me more when he knows I continue to depend on him. Always acknowledging my appreciation and saying "Thank You" even though I am thanking him about the same things each day and sometimes several times a day, gives feelings of love. Keeping an eye on what he still can do ... at least do today, and letting him do it, allows him to keep his self respect. Not correcting but rather "walking behind and fixing" is also helpful. Telling him "I love you" many times a day, touching his face or back, planting a kiss, all tell him that I am here and will be here to support him.
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