I gaze out from the living room window and see the cold January wind blow the fresh snow across the field.  The fresh snow that had fallen so silently the night before and settled upon the ground and left a carpet of white is now on the move into the brush along the lake shore and into the trees along the edge of our property.  The beauty of that snow did not last long as now it is drifting across the driveway and roadways and creating challenges in life.  Peeking from the snow I am able to see an occasional left over stalk from a plant fighting that wind to ensure they are not victim to its strength and become lost from its home throughout its growing season. 

The stalk standing strong against the wind reminds me of my dad.  He married my mother in 1968 and adopted my brother and I in 1974.  There was never any doubt that he was our dad.  He loved us as he loved our sisters born during their marriage.  He worked hard to give us everything we needed and have the fun stuff also.  We snowmobiled, went camping, and even had a little motorcycle that I unfortunately could never master.  I had my own car that he taught me to drive and worried about me when I was out late.  He rarely yelled and he often laughed.  He loved my mother with all his heart.  He was a strong man and could battle most any storm that life blew his way.  He was always able to take them in stride.  He was able to find a way to fix many things; most often with duct tape.  He is a good man.  I remember him like that.  My siblings remember him like that.  Some of his grandchildren even remember him like that also.  Sadly he does not remember who he is any longer.  He is the face of Alzheimer’s. 

He is the stalk left standing in the snow and lost as to what is happening around him.  Things change around him but he does not know why.  Things pass by him and he does not know what they are but he still stands tall.  Just as the wind and snow try to blow the stalk over, Alzheimer’s tries to do the same to him and in a way it has but we who love him so do not let the storms overtake him as we still know him from the inside.  We know his laughter from his silly jokes and his love of black licorice and Snickers.  We know his passion for golf.  We know his heart.  

So stand tall Dad.  You may not remember you but we could never forget you and we love you so.