My best childhood memories are with my dad.
- Nebraska football games and letting balloons float up into the sky when Nebraska scored. Go Big Red!
- Deer hunting on my grandparents’ ranch and sitting on what we now call “Papa’s knoll.” It was a really cold morning, and we didn’t see a single deer, but I remember eating the little Hershey’s chocolate bar my dad gave me.
- Walking the rows of corn to flush up pheasants while my dad was hunting.
- Catching my first fish, a small and beautiful trout, in a clear mountain stream outside of Jackson, Wyoming. My dad taught me how to fish.
- When I was thirteen, I began running with my dad. He taught me how to run. He gave up running years ago, but just last weekend, some forty-three years after I started running with him, I ran in a 5 mile race. Now, I run because I am grateful that I can. My dad gave me that.
What I remember and appreciate the most is that my dad took our family to church. He allowed me to encounter and embrace Jesus at a very young age, and this simple faith has saved me. I must tell him soon how much I appreciate him taking me to church.
I coach and train a lot of families in how to care for their loved ones experiencing dementia using the DAWN Method. I always include the DAWN message that dementia is the season when expressing respect, admiration, and love are ways we give our loved ones a sense of well-being.
For some of us, coming up with these examples can be challenging. Tough history is a reality for many families, but I have observed that when we begin to dig up even a few good memories, families and caregivers experience a higher level of positive mood and lower stress. This is a win-win.
