Yesterdays Memories

I just got back from a little stroll. Considerably different from the walk I took yesterday afternoon. Yesterday I only needed a short sleeved t-shirt under a sunny, clear blue sky. I saw the early signs of daffodils, new buds bouncing on the tips of trees and the unmistakable smell of life. This morning.......this morning, I woke up to howling winds and blowing white snow!!!? Tonight the wind was stinging my cheeks and making me wonder whether I was living in the same city. Ah! The joys of living in a four season climate.

More seriously though, I was thinking of an older acquaintance of mine whom I haven't seen since just before Christmas. My friend is suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Murray is closing in on 80 years old and this disease has definitely robbed him of a brilliant mind. Murray had his idiosyncrasies but there was no mistaking his intelligence. In an earlier life, he was a Civil Engineer and was pretty much responsible for a lot of the roadways that we travel on in my neck of the woods.

I guess I've known Murray for a little more than 13 years. He was always ready with a story of the various projects that he was involved in over the years. And generally, told those stories with great gusto and uncanny detail. However, what I saw at Christmas was only a shell of the man that once was. This disease is cruel beyond belief. To think of the knowledge, the memories and experiences that are being rapidly lost is tragic.

When I look back at our many meetings, I guess I am now able to remember when things started to change. Out of respect, whether I heard the story before or not, I always gave Murray centre stage. But within the past year and a half the stories became more repetitive and the timelines seemed to change. I found myself periodically filling in the blanks for him, having heard the stories many times. But I was still kind of ignorant as to what was actually going on. Attributing it to his advanced age. When he removed himself from the picture for awhile, his wife kindly filled in the blanks. It was a great shock.

It's a sad, slow ending to an otherwise great life. The memories of a career, accomplishments, friendships and most of all family doomed to disappear into the dark recesses of his mind. Being a witness to this makes me appreciate the fact that I have the memory of yesterdays sunshine and this mornings snow flakes on my face. Even now, Murray is teaching me to appreciate the fact that I can wake up and fill my day with memories and share them with whoever will listen. And for that, I will always be grateful.