Lisa Hart

I see a waltz frozen in time,
dancing and spinning, spinning and dancing.
My ear pressed up against his chest,
I hear his heartbeat over and over again.
Spinning and dancing, dancing and spinning,
in this...our frozen waltz in time.

Through the mist of this dance,
I see a small ray of light.
I know in my heart this must be the sun,
inch by inch...
I feel its warmth, slowly melting our frozen waltz in time.

I cry out to the sun,
no, please go away...
please don't wake me and make my waltz go away.
Let me continue dancing and spinning
and spinning and dancing in this...
our frozen waltz in time.

Yet...the sun keeps coming,
rising higher and higher,
melting away this frozen waltz
that I have danced with you for so long.

Again, I cry out.
No, please go away.
My hands are slipping, and I can't hold on,
and the sound of his heart is fading away.
Please sun...leave us alone.

The sun is now above me,
and the dance floor has disappeared,
but tell me sun, please tell me,
why my frozen waltz is no longer here?

Then I opened my eyes, I started to smile,
It was just a dream.
My son and me in this frozen time,
dancing and spinning and spinning and dancing,
in this frozen waltz in time.

Thank you, God, for one more waltz,
one more dance with him,
and when I close my eyes tonight,
please let me dance again.

Nancy Reagan once said, "Alzheimer's is just another word for a long goodbye"
Doctor's told us that Alzheimer's is a horrible disease that strips you of your dignity and pride.
Nurses told us that some go back to their childhood and some act like they're five.
And we have all said, "We love her so much," but she has changed; she's just not the same.

You see, the doctors were wrong, you could never take away our mother's dignity or pride.
Did she lose her dignity by asking us to bathe her, dress her, love and care for her?
I say no, because she did all those things and more for us.

The nurses were concerned about Mom going back to childhood.
But if you could, how many of you would love to be five again?
To remember that beautiful dress that Grandmother made just for you
Or to remember that little house that you grew up in
Or to maybe remember that special friend that you have missed for so long.
So maybe being five again wasn't so bad after all.

We have all said or at least thought, "She has changed; she's just not the same."
But even with Alzheimer's, Mom's love never changed.
Mom's love stayed the same.

So, maybe Nancy Reagan was right.
Alzheimer's is a long goodbye.
But I thank God for this extra time.
Time not to say goodbye but time to love and honor her, as she did us.

So we say goodbye for now Mother, but only for a little while,
For in Heaven there are no "long goodbyes."
In Heaven there is only eternity.