Surprisingly, even with Dementia, dad still has moments of lucidness.
I am lucky and grateful to be able to catch these moments.
Most of the time he is asleep.
No more than a few minutes does he wake to the present moment.
When he does, it’s always one for the books.
Today was a confusing but tender moment with dad.
His vision may be impaired but the rest of his senses remain intact.
Sitting by his side in silence, I held his hand and combed his hair.
As I bade him farewell, I stroked my fingers gently across his chest to his shoulder.
My intention was to tidy up his shirt.
He must have felt the touch in a funny way.
Immediately he brushed off his chest with his hand getting rid of whatever he felt was crawling.
Lo and behold! He spoke out and said, “get rid of that cockroach!”
I held my laughter and chuckled in silence!
What he imagined as a cockroach crawling on his chest was actually a tender moment for me.
“I love you Dad, sleep well.”