In my early twenties I knew that I was marrying the man that I
loved, but I did not realize all of the wonderful things that he would
become to be. We laughed, had great times, possessed similar attitudes
and outlook, and meshed well, but the innocence of youth cannot begin to
understand the complexities of adulthood. These lessons are learned and
comprehended with age, time, and deep reflection.
My husband is the quiet, dedicated, hard worker type; I am the vivacious, outgoing, always-looking-for-another project type. He is clever and wise; I am crazy and while smart enough, not always as sensible as perhaps I should be. He has entered retirement with a calm resolution to relax and enjoy himself. I also have entered retirement but with a pent-up drive to create, do, and impact others. Fortunately, we understand each other so this combination interconnects in a special and unique fashion. He is the steady and balanced one; I am the one who adores the thrill of the fray, the joy of adventure.
I have always felt my husband was proud of me and he has always been supportive of my actions whether at work, during coaching, in family matters, in education choices, and in my flurry of activities. While he does not greet me with raucous cheers, he meets me with something better: total, unconditional love. This has never been more obvious than during the latest of my two projects. Actually both projects lead to the same focal point, Alzheimer's Awareness, but they each required different attention and dedication of time and energy.
The first entailed making two loops of the rural portions of my state. Nevada possesses numerous small towns and tons of wonderful people, but we are strung out by miles of roadway. With flyers and brochures and educational posters in tow, my husband and I made our initial clockwise loop of central and western Nevada, hitting every rural community during the 700+ mile drive. I chatted with librarians, senior center directors, law enforcement, long-term care personnel, and others as I shared education about Alzheimer's disease and the value of knowledge and understanding. Overall my listeners were attentive and interested and expressed the desire to learn more... which I offered to provide through presentations.
The second loop led us counter-clockwise to the eastern loop again with hundreds of miles and lots of chatter. Again the reception was terrific. My husband drove, we chatted and stopped to visit historic sights, and we spread Alzheimer's information. When we arrived home, I breathed a sigh of happiness that this man loved and cared about me enough to dedicated hours, days, and extensive miles to my heartfelt project.
Probably the most amazing project happened on June 21, the Longest Day, and a day to celebrate caregivers who live the longest day every day. We have a big "W" sitting on the hill overlooking our community and I determined that the best way to send a message of care was by painting it purple, the symbolic color of Alzheimer's disease. Beginning with much gathering of supplies my husband and I then mixed our 200 gallon brew in a tank on the back of our pickup: lime, water, colorant, and massive "Witches of Macbeth" stirring to create a vibrant purple slosh. A half hour drive up a steep mountain road led us to twelve loving friends and together with buckets of whitewash tinted purple and mops we spent two arduous hours slopping on our glistening tone.
As we proudly surveyed our wondrous work, I proudly looked at my husband. Although he could have spent Father's Day resting and watching sports, he spent busy hours helping me with this painting project, Now that is love and dedication. And he is, without a doubt, my biggest fan!
My husband is the quiet, dedicated, hard worker type; I am the vivacious, outgoing, always-looking-for-another project type. He is clever and wise; I am crazy and while smart enough, not always as sensible as perhaps I should be. He has entered retirement with a calm resolution to relax and enjoy himself. I also have entered retirement but with a pent-up drive to create, do, and impact others. Fortunately, we understand each other so this combination interconnects in a special and unique fashion. He is the steady and balanced one; I am the one who adores the thrill of the fray, the joy of adventure.
I have always felt my husband was proud of me and he has always been supportive of my actions whether at work, during coaching, in family matters, in education choices, and in my flurry of activities. While he does not greet me with raucous cheers, he meets me with something better: total, unconditional love. This has never been more obvious than during the latest of my two projects. Actually both projects lead to the same focal point, Alzheimer's Awareness, but they each required different attention and dedication of time and energy.
The first entailed making two loops of the rural portions of my state. Nevada possesses numerous small towns and tons of wonderful people, but we are strung out by miles of roadway. With flyers and brochures and educational posters in tow, my husband and I made our initial clockwise loop of central and western Nevada, hitting every rural community during the 700+ mile drive. I chatted with librarians, senior center directors, law enforcement, long-term care personnel, and others as I shared education about Alzheimer's disease and the value of knowledge and understanding. Overall my listeners were attentive and interested and expressed the desire to learn more... which I offered to provide through presentations.
The second loop led us counter-clockwise to the eastern loop again with hundreds of miles and lots of chatter. Again the reception was terrific. My husband drove, we chatted and stopped to visit historic sights, and we spread Alzheimer's information. When we arrived home, I breathed a sigh of happiness that this man loved and cared about me enough to dedicated hours, days, and extensive miles to my heartfelt project.
Probably the most amazing project happened on June 21, the Longest Day, and a day to celebrate caregivers who live the longest day every day. We have a big "W" sitting on the hill overlooking our community and I determined that the best way to send a message of care was by painting it purple, the symbolic color of Alzheimer's disease. Beginning with much gathering of supplies my husband and I then mixed our 200 gallon brew in a tank on the back of our pickup: lime, water, colorant, and massive "Witches of Macbeth" stirring to create a vibrant purple slosh. A half hour drive up a steep mountain road led us to twelve loving friends and together with buckets of whitewash tinted purple and mops we spent two arduous hours slopping on our glistening tone.
As we proudly surveyed our wondrous work, I proudly looked at my husband. Although he could have spent Father's Day resting and watching sports, he spent busy hours helping me with this painting project, Now that is love and dedication. And he is, without a doubt, my biggest fan!
