Did anyone else see "My Mother, Our Journey" on MSNBC today? It first aired
in April.

I thought it was wonderful. Unlike PBS "The Forgetting," which was more
clinical in its approach, this was simply the story of one family and how
they coped with their mother being diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimer's in
her mid 50s. It was very affirming of how there is still life in the midst
of sadness and illness.

I was particularly struck by the comment of one of the workers at the adult
day care center the mom attended about how much life and personality they
saw in the center participants that their families didn't, because the
center staff could only see them and appreciate them as they were now, not
as they once were. I thought it was a very wise way of saying "be in the
moment." Certainly by the end of the documentary (which, to be fair, did not
detail the last two years as her physical health diminshed quickly before
her death) I wished I had known this woman with the ready laugh, the
artistic gift discovered only after she was diagnosed, and tons of spunk and
grit.

It left me feeling encouraged, rather than discouraged as many such pieces
do. No, it didn't diminish how terrible this disease is -- it simply said
don't measure the life by the disease. If you see it coming on again, I
recommend seeing it. I'm going to see if I can catch it on videotape for my
dad.

Songbird