I can trace back about eight years, the signs my dad has been showing of Lewy Body Dementia. It seems to that for a long time, they did not know exactly what his diagnosis was, and although they may have mentioned the words Lewy Body, perhaps, I was not ready to hear them.  Either way, I feel like I came late to the party with understanding what was happening to my father. Although, I’m not sure that treatment for him would have resulted in anything other than what we’ve done so far, I feel that “treatment” for me and for the family would have been different. (Maybe)

For the last few years, there’s been a coming to terms with wanting things to be different than they are.  There’s been a coming to terms with “he must” or “I must” be doing something wrong – otherwise why would he be this way?  There’s been a coming to terms (for me) with how each member of our family has responded to my father’s illness.

And the place where I’ve been able to find peace is in asking these questions:

• What beauty and lesson does this moment hold?
• What are the gifts that are available to me through this moment?
• What am I to learn from all of this?

As I ask myself these questions, I begin to allow myself to see the gift that my father is to me and I smile knowing that he has never stopped teaching me and offering wisdom, while patiently waiting for me to be able to see…

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Knowing the signs and symptoms offered me a chance to see beyond the behaviors and interact with the person behind the label of Lewy Body Dementia, creating a relationship based on love and compassion, rather than a relationship based on the personality with these symptoms.

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