Day 27 - "Find Your Tribe"

Today I will be sharing ways I found that helped me cope during our journey with Dementia’s Demands.  Just as there are many reasons we would need to “cope”, there are many ways to cope!  And what works for me may not work for someone else.

The title of today’s post is taken from a quote by Jennifer Pastiloff found on the Lewy Body Dementia Association website, and shared by a friend whose husband died from this form of dementia.   The quote touches on my number one way that I am able to cope:

“Find your Tribe.  You know, the ones that make you feel the most you.  The ones that lift you up and help you remember who you really are.  The ones that remind you that a blip in the road is just that, a blip; and not to mistake it for an earthquake, and even if it were to be an earthquake, they’d be there with the Earthquake Emergency Supply Kit.  They are the ones that, when you walk out of a room, they make you feel like a better person than when you walked in.  They are the ones that, even if you don’t see them face to face as often as you’d like, you see them heart to heart.  You know, that kind of Tribe?”

1.  Find Your Tribe – It is very important for me to be a part of a group that I can share my feelings with; that understand me and what I am going through; that I can laugh and play and share and cry with; that I can just “be me” with!  That is my source – my group – my people - my “Tribe”.  My “Tribe(s)” consist of Church, Choir, Women’s Fellowship Group, Sunday Lunch Bunch (who are parts of each of the previous groups!), Family, Scrappin' Friends, AND my new friends - The 31 Dayers!  What would your tribe look like?

2.  Reading – I love to read and take advantage of reading just about anything that interests me!  Most of the time I am reading Nicholas Sparks, Nora Roberts, Deborah Raney, Danielle Steel and others that sound like a good read.  I also found help with our journey by reading self-help books.  The best and most helpful book for me has been “The 36-Hour Day” by Nancy L. Mace, MA, and Peter V. Rabins, MD, MPH, which I have quoted from often in the past 26 days!

3.  Writing – I mainly write in my journal (not necessarily every day), but I have also typed out some of the information I used to write in this blog, such as "The Broken Pencil"and "A Stranger in my Home".  I have also written few poems that were shared earlier (see Crying Out to God which incorporates both “Silent Cries” and “Where are you God?”).

4.  Scrapbooking – I love to “make memories” as we enjoy family time, and take a lot of photos to document those special times.  Putting them together in a scrapbook helps to preserve those memories.  Here are two of my grandsons on a “dinosaur” that is located in front of a children’s consignment store, and one with all five of my grand children in front of a special candy store:

Dinosaur Fun

5 Grands at Sweet Pete's

5.  Music – I love all types of music and listen to the radio every time I am in the car; why I don’t turn it on at home is because of the TV blaring most days…some of my most inspirational times (alone) are hearing a favorite song on the Christian radio station I listen to most often!  Although there are many songs that inspire, I want to share one favorite that has meant a lot to me during this journey:

What more can I say?  We cope – and we all cope in different ways.  Mine may not be your way; and yours may not be mine.  But sharing my journey on this blog has been helpful; and I have learned that comfort in knowing:  “For You are who You are no matter where I am; and every tear I’ve cried You hold in Your hand; You never left my side…”