It’s been a week of Mondays, and I missed posting on Tuesday, but I have something that is sitting on my heart to share and worth being late.
To be real, mom has seemed more confused lately, and I can tell that her cognitive decline is worsening. She is ever so sweet – and always smiling, and not only do I adore that, but she reminds me that living her faith is the most important thing in her life. She is not just happy – but she has captured how to be joyful even in the tough times, and being 93 and trying to exist in this world is not on the list of easy…BUT…
She may not remember what she had for breakfast, or what she did yesterday. She may struggle to find the right words or get lost in the timeline of a simple story.
But ask her about church, and her eyes light up. Because she knows. She remembers. She FEELS. Every Sunday, she is wobbly and off balance, but off she goes with a smile, her beautiful eyes sparkling and excited to see everyone.

She remembers her pastor, Tony Borton, and she loves Charles Stanley, Joyce Meyers, Billy Graham, and more. She remembers the old hymns—every verse, every chorus – and she loves them. She reads her Bible faithfully, and recognizes the faces of her church family like they’re stitched into the fabric of her soul – because they are.
Church isn’t just a routine for her. It’s her sanctuary. It’s her safe place. It’s her reminder that she is held—by God, by community, and by something greater than what this disease can touch.
We read devotions together almost every day. And every day, without fail, she prays for the children of the church—by name. Not because someone tells her to, but because her spirit still remembers the rhythm of intercession.
Her body is slower now. Her mind, tangled in fog some days.
But her faith? It’s sharp. Steady. Unshaken.
It is her anchor in the storm of confusion.
Let Them Hold What Comforts Them
We spend so much time as caregivers focused on what’s been lost.
But let’s not forget what remains.
Your loved one might not remember the year or what day it is…
But they may still hum a favorite hymn.
They may still whisper prayers.
They may still light up when they hear the familiar cadence of a Sunday morning sermon.
Let them hold on to those things – whatever they are…
Let them rest in what brings comfort.
Because dementia can take the dates.
It can muddle the memories.
It can confuse the order of a day.
But it cannot take what’s etched into the spirit.
And for my mom, her faith is carved deep. Let them live there and rest.
Caregiver Hack of the Week
Make space for soul memory.
Even when cognitive memory falters, spiritual and emotional memory often stays.
Create a quiet space for your loved one to connect with what grounds them—daily prayer, a devotional, a favorite hymn, or even a recorded sermon. No theology degree needed—just love and repetition. Its one of the greatest acts of love we can show them.
Thanks for letting me share this oh so personal topic with you. See you next week! Choo choo!
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