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December 2007 
Share a memory of your grandparents (or another older friend).
Posted on Jul 24th, 2007
by 
Courtney
Courtney
This is in Response to the Questions and Reflections for July 24, 2007:
My grandfather on my Mom's side is the only grandparent I've ever actually liked. My grandparent's on my Dad's side are too much like my father for me to care for them. Anyway, my memory is of my mom's dad, Poppi as the grandkids call him.
We were driving home from visiting my cousins in Michigan which was a 12 hour drive. I had fallen asleep in the car and woke up to a rhythimic clicking noise.
"Poppi, what's that clicking?"
"Hmm?"
"Poppi, your blinker is on."
This probably seems like a silly memory to most, but that trip was really pleasant. I got to spend some time with my grandfather and talk to him. He's always been a very loving man, but he grew up in a time when you weren't exactly taught to show love. Hugs were never initiated by him, but I suspect that he was always all too glad to receive them.
He's living up in Michigan now. He was diagnosed with Lewy body dementia. I went to visit him in the beginning of the summer. It was hard to see how much he had declined. I left there in tears every night. It was so hard to see my grandfather so angry. It was as if he still had access to his thoughts, but he could not get the words out. He was mad that he was in assisted living. He didn't want to be there, but he wasn't well enough to take care of himself. When he first started to have symptoms, it was after Christmas at my Aunt's house. My Aunt was trying to get him to pack to go home. He got really angry and started screaming that they were trying to kick him out of his house and steal his money. I was a witness to all of it. After he finally went upstairs, my aunt came over to me and told me that was not my grandfather. He's not like that. Now everytime I think of him and remember how angry he is now, I have to stop and remind myself of the good times. Of the orange tic tac's. I miss him tons and as sad as it is.. I wish for him to pass quickly so that he will not have to live this way.
We were driving home from visiting my cousins in Michigan which was a 12 hour drive. I had fallen asleep in the car and woke up to a rhythimic clicking noise.
"Poppi, what's that clicking?"
"Hmm?"
"Poppi, your blinker is on."
This probably seems like a silly memory to most, but that trip was really pleasant. I got to spend some time with my grandfather and talk to him. He's always been a very loving man, but he grew up in a time when you weren't exactly taught to show love. Hugs were never initiated by him, but I suspect that he was always all too glad to receive them.
He's living up in Michigan now. He was diagnosed with Lewy body dementia. I went to visit him in the beginning of the summer. It was hard to see how much he had declined. I left there in tears every night. It was so hard to see my grandfather so angry. It was as if he still had access to his thoughts, but he could not get the words out. He was mad that he was in assisted living. He didn't want to be there, but he wasn't well enough to take care of himself. When he first started to have symptoms, it was after Christmas at my Aunt's house. My Aunt was trying to get him to pack to go home. He got really angry and started screaming that they were trying to kick him out of his house and steal his money. I was a witness to all of it. After he finally went upstairs, my aunt came over to me and told me that was not my grandfather. He's not like that. Now everytime I think of him and remember how angry he is now, I have to stop and remind myself of the good times. Of the orange tic tac's. I miss him tons and as sad as it is.. I wish for him to pass quickly so that he will not have to live this way.
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