Playing Catch
On Thursday, I asked my guy if he wanted to watch some bluegrass on the iPad and he mouthed the word Yes. So I set up a live concert of Doyle Lawson doing a 25 year anniversary concert with many of the many band members from that long stretch of time. We watched it together. […]
Veterans Day
On this Veteran’s Day I reflect on my visit to the Dementia Ward yesterday. Have not written for a while because there was nothing new or remarkable to report. My guy has lost the ability to speak. He looks around, pays filtered attention to what’s going on, but no longer even tries to talk. Only […]
Sparks
My guy has shown a few sparks these last visits, after being nearly silent for a time. A few visits back he was looking intently a quite old woman who spends much of her day caring for the doll baby they gave her. She carefully adjusts its clothing, over and over. I asked my guy […]
Inflection Point
Today was an inflection point. My guy was unable to speak at all. On Wednesday he was also quiet, but eventually sang along to the gospel bluegrass. But today, nothing. I am seeing him enclosed by a series of tightening pathways. At first, we took great journeys to Maine, starting out early in the morning […]
Can’t Talk
On a visit a few weeks ago, my guy was sleeping when I arrived, which he often is. But this time when I woke him he said he just wanted to nap. So I said that was fine, I will just sit by in case he wakes up and changes his mind. Nurses and aides […]
From Israel
Here I am in Israel which brings to mind a conversation I had with my veteran buddy a while back. We were sitting under the trees in the courtyard listening to music when he said to me, “I’m ready to go.” I stopped the music and asked what he meant. He said he was ready […]
Thanking Doyle
My guy wanted to send a thank you video to Doyle Lawson for his video greeting. So I said, sure, and took a video of him with my iPhone. But he struggled to speak, repeating many words and not making a lot of sense. He asked to watch the video so I played it for […]
Doyle’s Video
https://jonsjournal.life/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/doyle-lawson.mov A few weeks ago I posted about yet another session with my vet where we sang along with Doyle Lawson’s gospel songs. I proofread and posted and then answered my email. The first email was a friend asking if I wanted to go to the Lowell Folk Festival that weekend, so I clicked to […]
Stains
Another splendid session under the trees listening to our most beloved gospel album by Doyle Lawson (Sing Me a Song About Jesus). Gentle soft breezes, sweet scents, shade of the tall trees in the courtyard The visit on Sunday was so hot that we could not venture out. He asked for “Tunnels?” So we went […]
The Hawk
Have not posted recently since the visits usually follow the same pattern: we sit under the tree canopy in the courtyard and sit, talk, or listen to music. Music generally still means gospel bluegrass by Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, to which we sing along. To us, there is simply no music more perfect than this. […]