The Old Rugged Cross

I live with my grandma. My grandpa, who is 90, is living in a nursing home nearby. My grandma visits him a couple of days each week. She says it's too much to visit him every day, which I can understand.

Mac, my grandpa, has Alzheimer's and he often can't remember things. Recently it has gotten much worse. The other day my grandma showed up at the nursing home and he was holding someone else's hand. My grandma, in a rather lighthearted manner, asked the nurse if she should be jealous. The nurse chuckled softly and replied, "He thinks she is you." My grandma played it off alright, but I ache for her. I can't imagine seeing my soul-mate holding someone else's hand. I want to cry just thinking about it.

Today my grandma had a hard day too. It started out that the people who owned her nail salon were evicted so she couldn't get her acrylics filled. That is better off anyway because they were not sanitary at all. However, then she went to the nursing home to have lunch with grandpa Mac. She now has to feed him when she's there. It is all very sad for her to see. I'm not sure what he does the days that she doesn't visit. Does he just not eat? I don't know. Having Alzheimer's, he often repeats things every couple minutes. Today's phrases were more somber than others. He cried as he would say things like, "You may not see me again," or, "I will not be here long." My grandma would reply, "Mac, we don't know that for sure, but if that's so, I'll see you in heaven." Then he would smile.

Please pray for them. Pray that Gloria (my grandma) will be given the strength and comfort she needs to survive, and pray that the Lord will take Mac home. The Old Rugged Cross is Mac's favorite song.