10×7 full spread, acrylic
Dad’s decline into dementia has been accelerating rapidly over the past six or eight months. When I look back at this journal page, I realize the swirling emotions I felt at the time were due to my own uncertainty, coupled with his inability to allow us – his children – to step in and help. We are a large family, a blend of Irish, English and Norwegian. We are loud, opinionated, stubborn and we fight sometimes. But we laugh a lot – mostly at ourselves – and we love our dad.
Things are much harder with dad now. But we have been navigating the process as best we can. We have more information, and we are learning to trust each other as we proceed. We are planning ahead, and making adjustments for the curveballs. It doesn’t feel so dark and swirly anymore.
I wonder how it feels for Dad?