I returned from a month in Germany, where I helped transition my father into a care facility due to his advancing dementia. For years, my visits with him have been the most intimate we’ve ever had, making it bittersweet to be there for him yet also witnessing him slip away. His constant calls for Hilfe (“help”) were especially painful.
Though it’s heartbreaking, I find solace in knowing he is now in a wonderful facility where he is safe and well taken care of and perhaps even making new connections. One day, I walked in to find one of the ladies living there sitting with him, asking him questions. Maybe he’ll even find a girlfriend there.
Here are some photos from my daily walks (and some awe-inspiring moments), which were a sanctuary for me, besides painting, and meeting old friends and family, and little surprises on the way.
Twice, I saw a rainbow just when I was feeling down and saw rain approaching, thinking, “Oh no!” Then I realized that there is no rainbow without rain, no light without dark.
