Cheryl keeps old cards as did her mother. We have had a long standing tradition of keeping old greeting cards in our home. Cheryl has kept cards for years. In the past couple of decades it became fashionable to send Christmas card – favorite family photo combination cards. These are especially precious.

Reconnecting by reading old cards

Parkinson’s slowly robs many of those afflicted of the ability to make new memories. Not all who have Parkinson’s disease (PD)(parkies) loose their short term memory but Cheryl is in that group. This seems to be related to her organisational function as well. For her it is comforting to read old cards and think about those people and their families. If there is an annual letter she will read it to me and reminisce.

Cheryl brought the cards from her mother’s apartment after she died. When Elaine passed away from this life a couple years ago these cards along with other mementos and photographs entered our condo. Throughout the past couple years Cheryl has organised, reminisced and rearranged these. They are a comfort. Thinking about others and remembrance is her favorite pastime.

I am simply happy that it gives her pleasure and peace. The deterioration of her mental abilities is frustrating to her. Bit by bit she is robbed of her independence and the cruelty of the disease is the fact that she is aware of the deterioration.

It has been said before – Parkinson’s sucks. In this case it sucks greatly.