It’s been forever since I was who I used to be.
Today, my life is simple – but one day, I will be free
from the prison of my mind and my fading memory.
God help them to remember, who I used to be.

Some days they are strangers in my world of mistaken thought.
Reaching, grasping, struggling to recall all I forgot.
As conversations jumble in a room of family fun
I don’t keep up, I can’t respond – I simply want to run.

But then a child will hug my arm, “Nani, will you come and play?”
I find my smile, my arms reach out – my eyes call out to say,
“I’m here, I see you, I have something sweet to give…
I love you more than I can say. I have reason now to live.”

Hoping not to disappoint as I have no words to say,
frustration grows, anger builds, humiliation carries me away.
They start to sing to bring me back from that swirl of anxiety.
I hear their song, sing right along, and for a moment, I feel like me.

They hold tight to thoughts of better days, of gathering with each other
My life once defined as a friend, a wife, and loving mother.
So thankful for the peace I feel, as I love God faithfully,
awaiting His promise, I’ll be whole again, with my Lord in eternity.

Thank you, Jesus, for your love. Thank you for your grace.
As I fade away from the life I knew, I’ll rest in your embrace.
I long for peace and calmness as you take me in your arms,
and soon be restored and safe, as you keep me from all harm.

Thank you for the compassion as you taught them how to care.
Thank you for your comfort, for I knew you were always there.
And when you finally free me from my fading memory,
my pain removed, my thoughts revealed, from this prison, I will be free.

(Imagining the “what if” of having Alzheimer’s)
Copyright 2025