Category Archives: Dementia

Dancing With Holidays Past

The best family holidays were full of laughter, dancing, and just being together. Continue reading

Posted in Autobiographical, Courage, Dance, Dementia, Family, Home, Love, Music, Tribute | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Remember Who You Are

Knowledge of our ancestors, the people who made our lives possible, guides us and helps us remember who we are. Continue reading

Posted in Autobiographical, Childhood, Dementia, Family, Knoxville, Love | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Collateral Damage

Throughout history humans have sought easy answers to complex issues. When things go wrong, how can we protect the most vulnerable: Women, older people, the poor, and our children? Continue reading

Posted in Autobiographical, Backyard Nature, Childhood, Courage, Dementia, Family, Home, Ideas, Knoxville, Op/Ed Thoughts, Women | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Man of Value

Values over riches, people over things: remembering my father and dealing with the grief. Continue reading

Posted in Autobiographical, Beauty, Blooming, Childhood, Creativity, Dementia, Family, Freedom, Happiness, Ideas, Knoxville, Love, Music, Tribute, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Coming Home to Myself

For the ones who had a notion,A notion deep inside,That it ain’t no sin to be glad you’re alive . . . Bruce Springsteen, “Badlands”, 1977 A few months before Bruce Springsteen wrote his elegaic anthem “Badlands”, I left my … Continue reading

Posted in Alzheimer's, Autobiographical, Bruce Springsteen, Childhood, Courage, Creativity, Dementia, Education, Family, Freedom, Happiness, Home, Ideas, Knoxville, Love, Music, Op/Ed Thoughts, Tribute, Women, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Finding Darcus

Since at least 1992, I have been searching for my grandmother, Darcus Montgomery. She gave birth to my father in April 1935, and only four months later–in early August–she died. Naturally I assumed Daddy’s mother died from childbirth complications, and … Continue reading

Posted in Autobiographical, Childhood, Courage, Dementia, Family, Happiness, Home, Knoxville, Love, Uncategorized, Women, Wonder | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Going On

Why are all the real things, the important things, so easily mislaid underneath the things that hardly matter at all? — Jeanette Winterson, from “Christmas Days: 12 Stories and 12 Feasts for 12 Days” Over the last year I have … Continue reading

Posted in Alzheimer's, Autobiographical, Dementia, Ideas, Intuition, Love, Op/Ed Thoughts | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

My Winking Valentine

Yesterday I went to see Daddy who was sitting in the chair of his transitional care unit (TCU) room at the hospital. TCU, yes, but not the university located in Ft. Worth, Texas. With his brand new hip and Mama … Continue reading

Posted in Autobiographical, Beauty, Courage, Dementia, Family, Happiness, Love, Music | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments