Faith and Dementia-some things Don't change

The other day I belatedly read the last Blog posting to Mom. Those of you who have read several postings know I always end with "May God keep you in the Palm of Her hand". When I read that line I looked at Mom and she was staring off into the distance. I was not sure what her expression was indicating. She tends to have fewer and fewer expressions as her disease marches on. Therefore I said to her "I really think God may be a woman. What do you think?" She turned her head and said with a slight smile "I don't think it really matters"

Now it is important to know Mom is a very devote Catholic. For many years after she retired, she went to Mass every day. We always had priests and nuns at our house for dinner on holidays, Holy days and other various times. I think Mom had high hopes that one of the kids would join the clergy. Religion was important in our household. Mom, however, was raised a Methodist and converted to Catholicism when she married my father. I have an uncle who was a Methodist minister. This background always gave Mom just a bit of ecumenical flavor even though she tried to show a very "straight and narrow" Catholic face to us kids.

As the disease progresses it often takes away many of the inhibitions the person experienced in the past. I believe, probably, this would have been Mom's belief many years ago. In other words, what difference does it make, if god has a gender, which gender it is. Mom, however, tried to show quite the traditional views and would never have expressed this opinion earlier in her life. It actually was quite nice to know that with all the loses Mom has experienced, in this one area, she could speak her mind and not have any trepidations about it. Just one more silver lining, small as it might be. I do believe we all can see the lose of inhibitions as having a positive side to it. We can choose to look at this with a smile and a nod to the freedom it gives our loved ones. It is either that or morn one more lose in a long line of loses. The first is a lot more fun and can bring some joy to a tough disease.

May God keep you in the palm of Her hand!!