Katie.J.Gibson: Alzheimers Walk

Sunday morning we walked a few miles for Alzheimer's. Daniel's grandma has Alzheimer's. He doesn't really like to talk about it because he has such special memories with his grandma and it just hurts too much. He was home schooled until he was in high school (which I enjoy telling people. I like to imagine him being that sweet boy, doing his school work and helping his mom, although I am certain he was a rat sometimes!) and he and his siblings took turns spending Sunday nights with his grand parents. On the way to the walk, he was telling me all about his days with them-the way he used to stay up late to watch movies with his grandpa and play games with him when his grandma had hair appointments. He told me how his grandma used to take him to Taco Bell for lunch and she'd always have one taco and a coffee (he ate more than this, I assure you).
Sometimes I am so sad that we have to live in a fallen world. I am sad that there is death. I am sad that there is sickness. I am sad that wives don't know their husbands, parents don't recognize their children, and grandparents don't know their grandchildren. Why? Why can't people just get old and physically stop working? Why can't we keep our minds while everything else fails? I just don't understand. I don't understand why God created specific sicknesses and why he allows them to happen. What glory does he find in them? Goodness. He finds goodness. He promises he turns all things for good for those who love him. I just can't see it now, but I know, one day, when we are all risen, we will see it. I am thankful that, even though our world is fallen, God sent His Son to die for us so that we could spend eternity with him. It will all make sense someday.

The walk is usually on Saturday, but it would have interfered with the Diabetes Walk this year, so they moved it to Sunday. Which, for us, was great because we had a Junior Bible Quiz meet Saturday and wouldn't have been able to walk. Our team raised $1125! The Alzheimer's Association had lots of fun things to do before the walk started and several assisted living properties were there giving out freebies. We ended up walking two miles and had such a great time hanging out with Daniel's Aunt, Uncle, Cousin, and her friend and sons. It is sad that we can walk for things like this, but it helps to cope for sure.

Boy loves his grandma!

I look like a blimp! Thank you, 4 shirts in 50 degree weather.

Stretches

Decorating flowers for the walk. Orange meant general support of the cause. You could carry a yellow flower if you were walking for someone you knew who has Alzheimer's and is still alive. Purple flowers meant that you were walking for someone who had died- and one other color for people to carry if they had Alzheimer's. Not hardly any of those.