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Posted by Larry Jordan
on October 31, 2008, 11:30 am, in reply to "Re: Passing of Larry's Mother"
69.66.111.56
I appreciate all the cards, letters and other condolences I've received after the passing of my mother, Olga. As her hands-on caregiver for the past nine years, she and I shared quite a journey, that had its rough spots but also many wonderful times. My Mom was still talking a little each day, despite being in the throes of Alzheimer's, and communicated in non-verbal ways with affection.
I suppose everybody thinks of their mother in kindly terms, but I have to tell you that mine was exceptional. I have never known anyone with her depth of compassion, steadfast love, SELFLESSNESS, reliability, honesty and good qualities too numerous to mention. As a wife and mother she was perfection personified. She had a cheerful outlook on life but was not a Pollyanna. She had a finely developed sense of fairness, could detect a con artist a mile away, and was always forgiving, even when people close to her hurt her time and time again.
I decided when my mother became ill that I would document this journey, and so I kept a daily diary, plus have audio and video on her. After I wrap up my Jim Reeves book, which has been so long in the making, I intend to do a (slim) volume on Alzheimer's. It is my hope that I can share with other caregivers some of the practical tips I learned along the way on how to care for a loved one afflicted with this dreaded disease, what to expect, etc. I wish I'd had a guide during the last nine years, but instead I had to learn these things on my own.
In her 87 years and 116 days, Olga Martha Buseman Jordan never let a day go by without expressing gratitude to the Lord for His many blessings, and she honored Him in so many ways by serving her fellow man. She had a deep appreciation for the natural world around her, and an unwavering belief in His goodness. I know she never worried about the hereafter. Her Christian faith was monumental, and she lived that faith every day of her life. It is terrible for me to lose her, as she was my best friend right up to the end, but she taught me to trust in God and His infinite wisdom, and that is what sustains me now.
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