His name is John.

Okay…. his name is not John, but I don’t think I should put his real name here. For those that know, will have no problem recognizing him, specially if you live in the Southern Hemisphere of the planet called earth.

Now our friend John was one of the first people visiting us when we moved here. He came and introduced the deacon from the church. We talked a lot about God and I mentioned we really have God in common and should make nice friends and visit some…… His answer, looking over his glasses:” I don’t think so!” Well so much for making our first friend.

O dear, it is difficult not to get off topic or take a very wide turn to what I want to tell about John. Let me make it short. He irritates the sh*t out me. I will do anything to avoid him. whether he is invited to something or not, he turns up. Whether he was asked to do something or not, like public speaking…. he will create his opportunity and do it anyway. He actually once invited me formally for a project that I arranged for the NPO I was chairperson of. The town are just used to him. Sometimes he gets a spanking or two… but don’t think that bothers him… no sir! It is not my intention to slander the poor soul. It was sad when his wife passed away… she did everything for him. I don’t think his intentions are ever bad… but, as I said… he irritates the living daylights out of me.

Now here comes what I actually wants to tell about. I haven’t been in church for a while, sometimes my husband goes without me. I think I have been telling that I lost my friends, no one came looking for me when I disappeared off the face of the earth. Some friends texted me, and then everything in town just went on it’s merry way. We all happen to have our own place where we sit in church.

My husband came home this morning after church and told me the following. John usually sit right across the church in line with us. My husband said he saw John sat down and the next moment he got up and left again. Not long after that, John came and sat next to my husband, asking how everything is. To which my husband replied that I’m sick and things is not well after the last stroke and with the dementia. For the rest of the service he just quietly sat next to my husband. Just silent comfort………….

Much love and kindness

Saro (Elmarie)

Taking time to stand still.

Today I would like to tell you about a very big kindness paid to me recently. Having dementia, sometimes makes you very lonely. There is always the anxiety meeting new people. Sometimes you get confused when people talk too fast…. believe me it sounds like blah blah blah. Sometimes you lose the conversation not even halfway in.

I went with a friend on a trip, not too far, only about an hour and a half drive to Jeffreys. I love my friend, she is the best ever. Before we went on the trip, we had to spend three hours in the bank, to take my signing rights off of the NPO’S financial stuff. I served 4 years as the Chairperson. That three hours, was an ordeal for me. This and that and twelve other things and me feeling like a fart in a bag of nails…. excuse the expression, but it was what it was.

When we got there, we had a lovely lunch and when we started walking…. her walking fast like Castor Semenya and me walking with my crutch far behind. Then I told her, I decided against buying panties and time is running out, so I sat myself down on a bench in the mall.

It was a bit lonely but there I was. Next moment this stranger stood in front of me. A lovely young man, nicely dressed and soft voiced. “Good day auntie, may I ask why you walk with a crutch?” I told him the left knee is not so nice anymore and he there and then sat down next to me, asking if he can pray for my knee. I said yes. So he subsequently prayed for my knee. We started talking about when we met Jesus Christ and just have a nice chat about my favorite topic…. Jesus. Then he left with me giving him a hug.

Now unfortunately I’m not jumping around with a knee all fixed and all, it is not that I did not believe or something or that God did not fix my knee. But that day, that young man left his house with a purpose and just came to stand still by a scared old lady, whose head is more on crutches than her knee. It touched my heart. I could feel the love and company of God that day as a special treat. Don’t misunderstand me, God is always with me, but just that gesture, that intent to be kind, made my whole day.

So if you are looking for something nice to do, get up, get dressed and go see if there is some old lady that you can just go and stop by and talk too. Anything will do, even just introducing yourself and sitting there and if there is conversation, do it. It will make you feel good as well.

Much love and kindness

Saro (Elmarie)

Kindness and DOT

Dear friend, I’ve been meaning to write about DOT kindness for a few days now, but life just got busy and I couldn’t write. So let me tell you about kindness, as the idea feels like it is fading in my mind.

A lot of kindness has been given to me by friends since I were diagnosed and before. I play an online game Dawn of Titans. I never liked to play games… really solitaire?… boring! But Dawn of Titans is a community and I have been playing for three years now. We have an app where we socialize and brag with our Titans etc. called Line. This is not a blog on the latest Titan or stats, but about my friends.

I hope they don’t mind me mentioning some of them, because we all goes by an alias. Mine is Saro of cause 🙂 Anger is our Captain, he will deny this of cause, but he is. When I told him one of the first things he said was that he will send me a message saying:” Hi Saro, my name is Anger. We are family and we love you.” I’m not going to mention everyone, otherwise I will have to write a book on Dawn of Titans or DOT as we call it.

Another one was my dearest Hades108. I think I mentioned him before. I only gave him and Anger a link to my blog. This young man told me:”Saro, I don’t talk to you as a person who is sick or a person that has dementia. I talk to you as my friend Saro, that is like a mom to me.

I shared my dementia thingy with the rest of the leaders of our alliance (the 6 of us have been playing together for about 3 years, don’t know the exact time) and they always have my back. Boy o boy, I can mess up in Line app. Miss understanding stuff, not understanding stuff, being impulsive, type nonsensical messages and post stuff in the wrong chats. Geeeezzzz and DOT can be very intense with spies and stuff hahahaha. Sometimes I have to send Anger a message and ask what they are talking about or just simply drop it. Confusion really is a bummer.

But they will always have my back or fix things. I’ve been thinking of leaving DOT, but I spend so much time in the game. Have made so many lovely friends. Never met them face to face, but they are real to me. The guys (girls not many) sometimes shares their heartaches and stuff. I so love hanging out with everyone….

Playing DOT, is one of the things that makes me happy. When my Titan Grimvald goes whoos whoos with its lightning axes and the archers swish swish with their arrows and my storm maidens trrrr trrr shooting lightning bolts with their axes all at the same time, it thrills me so. It stimulates my brain, as I need strategies. Which are faltering, but I’m still good to go for a very long time.

This is kindness shown to me by people that lives all over the world, that has never met me face to face. A big thank you to all of you, even if you might never get to read this blog.

Now I have to leave, thank you for reading.

Lots of love and kindness

Saro (Elmarie)