God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

Psalm 46:1 NIV

The emotional and physical toll Alzheimer’s takes on the patient and family is grueling. Alzheimer’s is a cruel illness.

But I have learned to capture some beautiful moments in the conversations I share with my uncle who, for the last several years, has been dealing with the disease. At times he realizes he is talking to me, and other times he thinks he is talking to his sister (my mom) who passed away in 2018.

Our hardest and saddest conversation came a few weeks ago when his youngest daughter suddenly passed away. He was told that she passed and was in heaven with her mom and her aunt (my mom.)

When I called him to talk, he told me that his baby girl was gone. He asked if mom knew and why she hadn’t come to see him. I prayed, “Lord, give me the right words to say,” Jesus did better than that. My uncle, who has strong faith, said, “I have not seen your mom and dad since they moved to the lake house.” He added that his daughter liked the lake house so much that she decided to move in with them.  

“It must be some house,” he added. “Have you seen it yet? I said no.

But what I have read -- it’s a glorious place where there are no problems, pain, or tears. It is the perfect home.

“Do you think we can go sometime to see it?” he asked.

“We are one day, and we will get to stay there,” I told him.

“Is it that big?” he asked. God is the architect and there will be plenty of rooms, I said. “Sounds like a beautiful place” he said. I told him the best part we will be surrounded by all our family and in the presence of Jesus forever. Reminding him about his bedside Bible, I told him we will also get to meet all the people he has been reading about.

A conversation I feared turned into a wonderful talk about heaven.

Lord, I pray you will give everyone who is dealing with or has a family member suffering from a cognitive disorder that You give them strength for the journey. May they cherish each moment and take peace in knowing you are there.”

Mitzie Avera