Friday, August 11, 2006

PEGGY STYLE

It has been hot and humid here lately.

I step outside of my air conditioned home and hit a wall of heat.

How can it be so hot and feel so wet?

It is not only hot but feels sticky, it is oppressive. The air is so thick with heat and water that I feel like I could chew it or cut it with a knife.

There is no chewing or cutting the wall of heat and humidity that awaits me as I navigate to the outdoors.

I do have options...

I could stay in the air conditioned house, be a prisoner of the heat but stay cool and watch the world go by from my safe place.

I could go from the cool house to my hot car, turn on the air conditioning and wait for the car to cool so that I could drive the car in cool comfort. Arriving at my destination, I could run through the oppressive heat into a building where I will be be in the air cooled environment again.

All of this running to avoid something that is oppressive.

Peggy ran from the oppression of Alzheimer's disease for a while but it caught her just like the heat and humidity catch me no matter what I do to avoid it's consequences.

Sometimes........

There is no place to run and no place to hide. We must deal with life as it comes to us. We must do what we can to make a moment better for ourselves and not become a prisoner of our thoughts or of the oppression that we fear awaits us.

I will do what Peggy did..

I will face what oppresses me.

Something as simple as the heat and humidity or as great as the fears that I hide in my heart..but I will do it in Peggy style.

 With my eyes wide open and my head held high.

I am privileged..

I still remember my challenges and my fears. That means that I  have control over how I will react to everything that happens around me.

Peggy continues to be my teacher.....

Even from the dark prison of Alzheimer's disease, where she lives.....In her safe place.

I Love You Today, Peggy!

Mary Louise

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

You have really been able to portray a beautiful person named Peggy to us.  We haven't met her but we know she is sweet, brave, beautiful, full of personality and love of life, and she is a lady of class and grace, even as disease distrupts her life.

You are one sweet sister, much like your sister Peggy.

Wendy

Anonymous said...

my prayers and caregiver hugs are there for you and peggy.
                                                      000 charlie