DEMENTIA. AN ESCAPE FROM THE PRESENT INTO THE PAST

In the mornings I write my current book which is called 'The Journey', and is a selection of poems. It is the most enjoyable thing that I have ever written and my writing ability remains quite fluent. In the afternoons I do a little gardening and then I read. In my Wendy House [ shed ] in the garden I have about 2000 books and I must say that I receive endless pleasure in re-reading books written long ago. Human nature hasn't changed much, but behaviour generally has got much worse. Anyway, the title of today's blog comes from one of those books. The story is about a man losing his memory. Today we would say that he had dementia or perhaps even Alzheimer's. Te book is written in the first person singular and she is the wife of te dementia person and it is she who concludes that her husband's illness is an escape from the present into the past. It struck me how accurate this assesment of our situation is. We steadily lose more of our short term memory, but much of our long term memory remains.Although the prospects of ongoing dementia are not pleasant, I have found that there are interesting compensations. The first is that dementia people are forced by circumstances to look inwards and reflect. Either you will then emotionally drown in a whirlpool of self pity, or you will reach upwards into a new and exciting spirituality. The manifestations are in dreams and improved intuition, but most of all, I find in a tremendous feeling of well being and happiness. It has become the happiest time of my life. Of course, not all dementia people will have been blessed with such a full and glorious life, nor a lovely wife like Julian.However, as I have written before, 'Happiness is not bestowed on you, it is found from within.' Happiness is something achievable by everyone. Like my Jewish friend who was in the concentration camp, every single day provides some blessing. Gratitude is an important qality to find within oneself, and for me this state has led to truly finding God and embracing Jesus Christ as my salvation and redeemer. To some, these sentiments of mine will bring an uncomfortable feeling. I do understand, as I have felt it myself in the past, when the self righteous bang a particular drum. However, be open minded, true righteousness does exist. We just have to find it in both ourselves and others. David Barnato. Paarl. South Africa