She held her baby close, rocking him as he slept. She checked his diaper to determine if it needed changed. She nuzzled him and kissed him on the forehead. She talked to him quietly and said he enjoyed the music playing in the background. However, he didn’t respond to her. He didn’t move or make a sound. You see, the baby was just a doll and the mother was an 80+ year old in an elderly care facility.

I watched this lady care for her child recently and wondered how it is that some individuals become fixed at a certain point in their life without a chance to move forward. In the same facility, that evening, was another woman that continuously called for and spoke to her dog… one that didn’t exist.

What did I learn or observe from this experience just the other evening:

1. We need to be thankful for what we have… today! – We all have something to be thankful for, yet we are so consumed with our “to do” list for today that we often forget just how blessed we are. Don’t miss it!
2. We need to be compassionate to those around us – No one goes through life expecting or planning to spend their final years with severe memory problems, yet an increasing number of us will likely be impacted either directly or indirectly. We need to consider how we can make a day better for those impacted or those that care for them.
3. We need to remember that time passes quickly – Time is fleeting. It passes before our eyes in a blink. Don’t get so caught up in today’s troubles, problems, schedule, or responsibilities that you fail to enjoy the simple things. We all need to smile every day!

I wonder, if I ever have a pause in my memory, what stage in my life will I be caught. Will it be in my own childhood, or when my children were young, or later with my grandchildren? Will I be playing baseball or fishing or mowing the lawn? In reality, I’m not planning to worry about it today because I have things I plan to enjoy. As someone once said, “Don’t let yesterday take up too much of today.”

Enough of this… I’m heading to the lake for some fishing! Enjoy your day because it could possibly be your very best yet!