Debra Basham

Living and Loving

Tag: alzheimer’s disease

  • Pat

    I was awakened early this morning by the post of a friend on FaceBook and I chose to notice I was well enough rested to get up before daybreak so my fingers would have time to linger over the keyboard before the day officially begins.

    Yesterday’s Ring of Fire Solar Eclipse ignited, arriving precisely as we enter the Year of the Fire Horse. As one source wrote, this is not subtle energy, this is destiny ignition.

    Meg Benedicte, of NewEarthCentral.com, wrote:

      The question is not whether the energy will move — it already is. The question is whether you will move with it consciously.

      Will you allow the Horse to bolt wildly, scattering your energy in every direction? Or will you step into the saddle and guide that power toward your Soul’s purpose?

      This Eclipse marks a profound turning point, both personally and collectively. Power dynamics may shift. Leadership structures may wobble. What appears chaotic may actually be destiny reorganizing itself. What feels destabilizing may be the necessary release of what cannot travel forward into the next chapter.

    And today is Pat’s Celebration of Life service. My beloved friend and colleague, Pat, was a Nurse Practitioner Extraordinaire. She was a hand-holder and a way-shower. As her body failed to support the life she loved to live and the service she lived to give, her legacy began to exude in subtle ways.

    This Yellow Brick Road post and the following Nightingale Tribute Reading is dedicated to Pat.

    The Nightingale Tribute Reading

    Nursing is a calling, a lifestyle, a way of living. Nurses here today honor _______________ and his/her life as a nurse. _______________ is not remembered by his/her _____ years as a nurse, but by the difference he/she made during those years by stepping into people’s lives . . . . by special moments:

    She Was There

    When a calming, quiet presence was all that was needed, She was there.

    In the excitement and miracle of birth or in the mystery and loss of life, She was there.

    When a silent glance could uplift a patient, family member or friend, She was there.

    At those times when the unexplainable needed to be explained, She was there.

    When the situation demanded a swift foot and sharp mind, She was there.

    When a gentle touch, a firm push, or an encouraging word was needed, She was there.

    In choosing the best one from a family’s “Thank You” box of chocolates, She was there.

    To witness humanities beauty, in good times and bad, without judgment, She was there.

    To embrace the woes of the world, willingly, and offer hope, She was there.

    And now, that it is time to be at the Greater One’s side, She is there.

    I also found a beautiful reading about when a nurse dies and shared it with Pat’s daughter and Pat’s husband encouraging them to realize that her loving presence will likely become stronger and more palpable in the coming days as her essence is no longer burdened by Alzheimer’s disease:

    When a nurse dies

    it is not the end of her shift

    it is the rising of her legacy.

    In every pulse she steadied,

    in every tear she caught,

    in every “you’re not alone” she offered,

    her spirit lives on.

    So let us not mourn her in sorrow,

    but in sacred awe.

    Let us tell the world:

    A light has gone out,

    but its warmth remains.

    Let us never mourn her in sorrow. Let us always mourn her in sacred awe. Let us in every moment feel in our hearts how truly each souls’ warmth remains….

  • Wallet!

    Sacred Stories

    Reaching in to place some out-going mail inside, she saw something in the mailbox at the end of their driveway. She pulled out her husband’s wallet.

    He had lost that wallet almost 3 years ago!

    He had already stopped carrying credit cards and money, so they didn’t worry much at the time he lost it. They figured it would turn up at home in some crazy place at some time.

    The wallet was in good condition. His driver’s license and a couple of notes were still there.

    Her husband was now in a facility with advanced Alzheimer’s Disease. She had recently been feeling quite nervous about plans for her to be out-of-state for a few weeks.

    As she pulled his wallet out of the mailbox, holding it in her hand, the smiley face he had put on it years ago was looking up at her.


    She knew it was telling her to not worry about him and to go and fully enjoy the time with kids and grandkids!

    These are sacred stories. Pay attention to happenings in your life. Do you have a story to share? Send email to debra@scs-matters.com.

  • Answered Prayer

    Sacred Stories

    Her husband was being cared for in a facility, due to advanced Alzheimer’s disease. She was feeling some concern about her upcoming scheduled time away.

    Before going to visit him that day, she said a little prayer, asking if he was doing OK.

    His communication essentially had become “word salad.” The term word salad refers to random words or phrases linked together in an often unintelligible manner.

    During that visit, her husband burst out in a spontaneous clear declaration, “I don’t have anything to be concerned about!”

    These are sacred stories. Pay attention to happenings in your life. Do you have a story to share? Send email to debra@scs-matters.com.

  • Casey

    Sacred Stories

    Casey was a bit of a handful. She was one of those dogs who refused to stay in her own yard. For weeks now, Casey would disappear every afternoon. Her owner had no idea where she was, but Casey would come back home by dinnertime.

    Quite the surprise, one day Casey stayed home all day.

    The following day, a man came to the house, asking if the Alaskan malamute lived there. He said he just wanted to thank Casey.

    The past few weeks Casey had been spending every afternoon with the man’s father. He said his father had Alzheimer’s and had been very agitated and fearful. Petting Casey kept him occupied and calm.

    Casey had not come to visit yesterday because somehow she knew!

    The man’s father had died peacefully in his sleep two nights previously.

    These are sacred stories. What does this all mean to you? Do you have as story to share? Send email to debra@scs-matters.com.