Staying Young

When I married my husband, I was twenty-five and he was thirty-three. He asked me if I thought it would bother me that he was eight years older than me. We were both in excellent health and I thought that would remain well into our “Golden Years.” As I said in my first article, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s a little over a year ago and things have changed dramatically. I am so grateful that I was already in the fall semester of my second year in college, because I probably would not have gone. I have always been a very active person, and I cannot imagine sitting and watching TV with him day in and day out. I think I would have gotten very depressed and aged quickly myself. Now that I am in the spring semester of my third year, I have truly reversed my age by years. I even have a thirty-nine year old daughter and people still think we are sisters. I honestly feel like I am taking care of my father rather than my husband. I just try and keep him comfortable with everything he needs at his fingertips. I am so thankful for my college friends and all my married daughters, but I still feel so alone. As I said, I feel like I live alone, but I have no control over what goes on in my home. It is very strange!