Sunday, February 27, 2011

I Will Not Forget You...

"Even to your old age and to gray hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.    Isaiah 46:4

Every single day, my cry is "Oh Lord."

On any given day, I can count on my dad stopping by my house at 11:15 in the morning.  His life is surrounded by routine, and every day is the same as the day before,  with the exception of Sunday.  My dad is suffering from the early stages of Alzheimer's and as this disease attacks his mind, the cumulative knowledge and memories of a lifetime are gradually being erased.

This disease causes severe consequences for the person whose thought process in life is slowly slipping away from them.  It also causes stressful and overwhelming hardships on their family and friends. 

I was visiting with him this past week and I could see the sadness in his eyes and I could hear the weakness in his voice when he was trying his best to remember the names of his grandchildren.  Big tears were in his eyes and he just looked at me and said, "I don't know what is wrong with me."  My heart felt as if it were breaking into a thousand tiny pieces....

I asked God...."What can I do?....What if he forgets you Lord?"

Then, this scripture came to my mind...."I will never leave you nor forsake you"   Hebrews  13:5

What Great Comfort.......

No matter what shape our mind is in, God will never forget us!

Our salvation is not dependent upon the strength of any feeble or diseased mind! God does not close the gates of Heaven just because our memories are lost into a space of the unknown.

None of us know what the future holds, and if our minds are diseased way before our body gives up, then we can still rest assured that God will never leave....He will never forget....Praise God!!!!

Yes.....It is so sad to watch the memory of my dad fade away and to see the fear of the unknown on his face, but, I know ....God will be there to guide me, He will give me the comfort that I need and He will carry me when I can not stand alone.


Sweetest Blessings,

Shug

9 comments:

  1. My grandmother struggle with this disease and it is truly heartbreaking. Being there is just the most important thing.

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  2. Shug, your posts are such blessings to me. It seems I learn something new or something is re-enforced for me..or something you say brings a memory back that had slipped away. I love how God uses us to influence others...to bring comfort to others or to make others know that there's hope in the grace of God.
    I am so sorry you are losing your daddy. It is a disease that all of us fear. I've told my children and especially the grands that if ever I have this horrible disease that robs us of so much...if ever I don't know them, I am just sick and can not help it. They all know I love them..and they are all old enuf now to understand the sickness. And, now, thanks to you, I will add the wonderful Bible verse you stated here. Thanks, Shug.

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  3. Your post made me teary, Shug... I'm so sorry about your Dad. My mother-in-law is going through the same thing. It hurts me to see that beautiful woman change so much. She cannot remember to bathe or wash her hair. And she wants to wear the same clothes over and over.

    BUT--this being said, this is much harder on my father-in-law (who is almost 99). He is losing his bride of over 70 years to this horrible disease. He's the one with sad eyes... Mom doesn't seem to know the difference... Whatever ---it's just horribly sad to see them like this...

    BUT--we do know that God is with us through all of this. Thanks Be to God.

    Have a great day.
    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  4. Yes, God will never leave or forget us, Shug!!! And your dad will never forget God, either. God will always be there, even if He recedes to the back of his mind. I went through this with my grandmother, words cannot express what happened with us, I hung on till it was over, then had a nervous breakdown. So take care of yourself, rely on God's promises and don't let the sadnness overwhelm you. God got me through it and he will you, too. You have to put yourself first to be there for your dad. There are many support groups out there.

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  5. Until someone has a personal experience with this disease they really have no idea what loved ones deal with on a daily basis....all we can do is hang in there and rely on our Father to see us through. Love you!!!

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  6. Hi Shug, Thanks for stopping by my blog. It's good to meet you. I'm sad to hear about your dad. That must be so hard, both on you and on him. This is a great post, though, remembering that God will not forsake your dad or forget him, in spite of any human frailty. I love the verse, "He is mindful we are but dust." It's one of my favorites, because it says to me He knows all of our weaknesses and it's ok, He still loves us. Thanks for sharing this.

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  7. Thanks for your visit to my blog, Shug. I'm so glad you came, and that I followed you back home, as it were. You have a wonderful blog, full of grace, hope and love. My visit has been a blessing. I'm so sorry about what's happening to your daddy; I know from experience how hard it is to watch someone you love slip more and more into unknowingness. I pray for God's continued blessings upon him, you, and your family.

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  8. I'm so sorry about your dad. My father-in-law lost his wife to this heartbreaking disease, so I have just a glimmer of how hard it is. But I love the verse you quoted at the beginning of this post. It is a favorite of mine... I pray your dad will intimately experience the truth of it as he walks this unknown road. May you be filled with all grace and strength as you trust in Jesus.

    Thank you for stopping by my blog today and for your kindness in leaving a comment.

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  9. None of us knows what lies ahead of us, but God knows and He has promised that he will always be with us. Sorry to hear about your father's battle with Alzheimer's. I know it is rough for you and him, too. I've seen my parents and both brothers leave this world, but knowing that they would be in a better one was so comforting. God is so good and I'm so grateful that I had a family to love. I miss them but know that I will see them again. Let that knowledge comfort you in the days ahead. And take care of Shug, too. Blessings to you!

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Thank you for Blessing me today with your comments...

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