Tuesday, June 14, 2005

PICTURES STORED ON MY COMPUTER

I was recently on vacation.

While on the trip, I took hundreds of pictures with my digital camera.

I took these photographs so that I wouldn't forget one moment of the trip.

I took the card out of my camera and put it into a device on my computer so that I could transfer all of the pictures to a folder and save them.

After the photographs were up loaded to a folder named "Vacation memories 2005", I was asked this question by the computer program that I was using.

Delete all of the pictures on the card?

I hesitated because I knew that if I said yes, all of the pictures on the card would be erased forever.

While it was true that I had them in a folder on the computer, I still found that I didn't want to erase them from the card. I thought, what if...All of the stored pictures on my computer were accidentally erased?

What if I decide to get prints?

My mind went through a litany of... what if's.

I knew that if I wanted to use the card again, I would have to erase the photo's and so I did.

I watched as the cherished pictures were erased one at a time. Finally, the card was clean of all of my vacation memories. They were gone forever from that card.

This is what Alzheimer's is doing to Peggy's mind. It has erased all of the pictures of her life, one picture at a time.

There is no folder in her mind where her life pictures are saved.

Alzheimer's disease clicked on the computer button of her brain and erased every single picture that she had stored there.

There is no way to get her pictures back. They are gone forever and she can never use the card again to record her memories.

This disease is not only erasing the pictures of her mind but it is also erasing her life.

It will eventually shut down all of her bodily functions, one at a time.

She will forget how to eat and she will eventually forget how to breathe.

With one click years ago, Alzheimer's decided that Peggy didn't need to save the pictures of her life. She didn't need to store them and remember the wonderful times of her life.

It also decided that Peggy didn't need to be at all.........

Alzheimer's disease has been taking it's cold finger and clicking on...Delete all of the pictures of Peggy's mind. 

It is waiting for a day in the future to click on the box that says...Are you sure you want to eraseall of the pictures?

At that time, Alzheimer's will take it's finger and move the mouse over the box that say's...Yes.

With one click, it will erase all of her pictures and it will successfully...

Erase the person that was Peggy!

Then, it will be finished and Alzheimer's will push back from the computer that it controls and smile!

The disease thinks that it has won but it never counted on all of the people who love Peggy and have stored the pictures of her life in a special, safe folder where they can never be erased.

A folder that is titled.....

Peggy's life in memories and pictures.

I Love You Today, Peggy!

Mary Louise

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

You have such a way with words, and putting life's everyday moments into the most beautiful metaphors of Peggy's life.
I have been reading your journal, practically since it's inception, and I have laughed and cried with so many of your entries.  You really make me feel as if I know Peggy, and the person she was.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and feelings about your beloved Peggy.
God Bless
Jana

Anonymous said...

Hey Mary Louise,


   Alzhiemers didn't win with Peggy either....  Because Peggy will have her memobires back forever.  

Love,
Wendy

Anonymous said...

    "If a tree falls in the woods & no one is there to hear it fall .... "
    Peggy will always be there, alive & well as long as people hold her in their memories.

    I HEARD TODAY ON THE NEWS... published in the AMA Medical Journal:  "Brain Cells have been successfully grown" ... Maybe not in time for Peggy, but, at least the knowlege that this dread problem may soon be conquered!

LOIS

Anonymous said...

So sorry. :(

Anonymous said...

Awesome!! You just keep doing this, it's good for all of us. rich