Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Memory (07/10/08)
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TITLE: My "Criminal" Activity | Previous Challenge Entry
By Judy Doyle
07/16/08 -
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In the movie “The Way We Were” Barbra Streisand effortlessly sang “Memories, like the corners of my mind.” The song painted a beautiful picture of our lives. Can’t you just see the “misty watercolor memories?” Some memories are pleasant; other memories, perhaps, are somewhat painful. Yet, I gradually rob my victims of all memories.
The narrator of this piece smarted from my creative activity. I successfully plundered her mother’s cognitive ability. One day I heard a conversation.
“Mom,” the daughter began. She was showing her mother a photograph. “Mom, who is this?” As an amateur genealogist, she really wanted to know who the older, stern looking woman was.
“Mmm,” the confused woman looked intently at the photo. Her mother slowly answered, “Is that me?”
“No, Mom. This isn’t you. But, thank you for your efforts.” Her daughter’s smile faded and the light in her eyes was gone. The narrator knew in a sense she’d lost her mother. She was sure she’d lost her mother’s memories.
On the other hand, I was gleeful. Another victim I could chalk up to my “criminal” activity.
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Alzheimer’s Disease is a feared disease. It slowly, and without a doubt destroys one’s ability to remember. The strange thing about AD is its capability of affecting each person differently. Some people with AD experience a change in behavior. If kind and patient before AD, rudeness and impatience may be the new behavior.
My mother’s behavior rarely changed. She was kind and pleasant prior to AD. But as the disease progressed, she occasionally showed signs of behavioral digressions. A lady who never swore, my mother, at least once, told someone where to go and she didn’t mean heaven. My visits with Mom became more difficult. No longer did we converse. It became a monologue with me talking. I tried to remember for her and told her how much she meant to me. She didn’t know me, her son, or the grandchildren. It was heart-wrenching to watch Mom’s health and mental capacities deteriorate.
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The narrator’s mother died almost eight years ago. But I continue to harass this narrator. She’s never been an organized person. Therefore, I capitalize on her disorganization. She can’t find her business calendar? So I plant the devious thought, Maybe it’s Alzheimer’s. She’s forgotten a meeting, again. I hear her thinking, “Oh, I hope I’m not getting Alzheimer’s.”
Scientists are searching for what makes me tick and how they might control me. However, until that day arrives, I plan to continue to do what I do best. I will continue robbing people of their memories.
Until the time scientists discover a cure for AD, let me make a suggestion. Talk with your family, share memories, write your memoirs. If I decide to visit your family, it will be important to have shared those memories. As you share the memories now, it will help keep you alive in their hearts and minds if and when I have triumphantly claimed your loved one’s memories. However, ‘til that time comes, I’ve got work to do. See ya’. Oh! Didn’t you forget something?
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