Archive for the ‘Personal’ Category

Okay! I broke the cardinal rule of blogging.  I haven’t blogged for over 8 weeks.  I didn’t really disappear from the face of the earth, I disappeared from cyberspace. I  owe you an explanation because you have been so faithful following my blog, So let me bring you up to date.

First, thank you to all of you who responded to my post “What would Pat Robertson have Done with my Father.”  

To date there were over 467 comments on the post.  I had no idea that this issue would touch such a cord in the hearts of so many people.  I also had no idea how many people are living with the heartbreak of family and friends facing Alzheimer’s disease.

Because I am unable to respond individually to the hundreds of comments I received, I will address them here.  This will be my last post concerning Pat Robertson’s comments.

I had been traveling relentlessly and had just spent a sleepless night in a hotel room with an air conditioner that sounded like a pterodactyl with an abscessed tooth.  Now I was waiting to speak at an awards ceremony for KCARC, a wonderful caring organization dedicated to serving individuals with disabilities. A delayed flight had caused me to walk into the room just as the ceremony was beginning and I was in a nasty mood. 

This may be one of the most personal blogs I have ever written.

I was stunned by Pat Robertson’s recent proclamation that  a man is free to divorce his wife if she has Alzheimer’s disease, on the pretense that “She is not there.”  I am compelled to respond because if I remain silent, I do a disservice to my family and my father.

You see, my dad went to heaven after suffering from Alzheimer’s for over five years.  In the end he recognized no one, and could carry on no meaningful conversation.  His every need had to be taken care of by others.   He spent much time staring blankly into space.

Yesterday my daughter Traci dropped a heavy block of wood on her foot and broke a toe.  The pain was agonizing but there a was a deeper disappointment that drove her to tears.  She had trained and raised support to run a half-marathon to benefit “Coopers Troopers” an organization dedicated to helping the families and siblings of children who have faced life threatening disease.   As she sat on the couch sobbing with her face in her hands, she heard tiny voice of her three year old son, Tyler.  “You want me to pray for you?”