Saturday 5 September 2015

LIKE A THEIF IN THE NIGHT

My husband Steve could sing the" Lord's Prayer" like no one else I know and give the benediction: "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace" (Numbers 6:24-26 NKJV)

I recall a member of the congregation saying to me, "When the pastor walks out on stage, he brings such a sense of peace with him that all my anxieties seem to go away." That observation of him articulated the kind of individual Steve was. Without a doubt his life's purpose was fulfilled in helping people find peace with themselves, with others and with God.

Then we were visited by a subtle, invisible presence called Lewy Body dementia (LBD). He was having difficulty reading scripture, and forgetting things.
His physician labeled these incidents as symptoms of burnout. After all, public service is one of the higher stress-related careers.

Our invisible intruder continued to take away more of Steve's ability to function, and he started to lose interest in his work. In 1995 at the age of 49 he was forced to resign his pastoral position and took a year off.

As a result, in 1996 we made a move across the country to pastor a smaller congregation. This in itself should make things easier. Not long into the first six months, I knew we were facing some major challenges.

These challenges resulted in more tests, Ct scans showing scar tissue, evidence of mini-strokes.

In 1998  the storm continued to increase and at the end of that year he packed up his books for the last time.

It took six more years of CT scans, MRI's and cognitive testing to come up with a diagnosis. They were years filled with denial, frustration, self-pity and fear. When the neurologist informed us that the closest diagnosis he could come up with was a neurological disease known as Lewy body dementia, my reaction was silence. I had no idea what he was talking about.

The content of this blog is taken from an article I wrote for the  Sept/Oct issue of the Testimony Magazine. It contains a paragraph explaining  Lewy Body Dementia. I will not repeat this section in my blog as I have already done so in previous blogs.

LBD showed up like a thief in the night.  It slowly peeled away Steve's independence. It robbed him of his life's calling and sense of self-worth. He lost his ability to dial a number or use his bank card. His driver's licence was taken away. One of the greatest losses was his music. Steve was known for his outstanding musical talent and played for conferences all across Canada.

Now it is a special occasion when I begin to quote a Scripture and he can finish it. For several years we did this. I would say; "And we know"....and he would continue,"...that all things work together for good." But as time goes on, his memory is becoming more and more distorted.

Changes in life are inevitable. Tomorrow is promised to no one. Every day is precious. Joy comes from living in the moment, with thanksgiving for God's abundant grace and love.

Taken from page 15 of the Sept/Oct issue of the Testimony Magazine, the official publication of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada.

My journey of these events has been published in my book "WHEN TROUBLES FALL LIKE LEMON DROPS, which can be obtained from my website; www.whentroublesfalllikelemondrops.weebly.com.


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