Friday, November 12, 2004
Few weeks back, i was reading Reader's Digest (Nov issue). There was a story called " The Unlikely Gift" that left me thinking about human relationships, the relationship between parents and their children, the relationship between husband and wife, the relationship that friends share and bgr relationship. It is ironic how a simple relationship can be mingled with so much complexity.
The story "The Unlikely Gift". Bascially it is about Sanford Cohern who is gradually losing his memory due to Alzheimer, hence he went over to stay with his daughter, Elizabeth Cohern, as his wife couldn't stand him any longer. When he went over to stay at Elizabeth's house, he couldn't even recognise his own daughter. Elizabeth has a daughter Ava who is only one year old. Miraculously even though Ava and her grandfather were in two different worlds, they enjoyed each other's company. They could communicate with each other, in a way Elizabeth couldn't. They would Elizabeth felt left out from their world and sometimes she felt like an intruder world but she didn't mind. She knew gradually Ava would be joining her in the world of coherent thought. But her father was never coming back. When her dad was officially diagnosed with Alzheimer, he cried " I am dying, of this Alzenheimer's! i want a cigarette."His helpless and lonliness however was felt by Ava as she hum with him to the song that goes "Suddenly, I'm not half the man i used to be ". All this while, even thought Sanford loved Ava, he couldn't remember her name. The man loved her so completely, even though he never learned her name. However Elizabeth was wrong, he remembered. He remember Ava . The story ends with this paragraph " It was as though the brain of my father and the brain of my daughter had crossed on their ways to opposite sides of life. They looked upon each other with fond familiarity, each heading to the place the other had come from. And oh his ways out of life, instead of having lost the abilities to speak, to walk and to negotiate the world, i like to think Daddy has given them to Ava. He has passed on the Keys. "
i feel that i am unable to narrate the whole story as the reader digest did ( understatement), i really encourage you to read it up. The point that strike me the most was the part about Sanford gradually forgetting everyone around him, slowly being robbed away of his memories. i was questioning how i would feel if without my knowledge, i lose all my memories. Forget all the good times that i had, forget my loved ones. I shivered at that thought. Memories are very dear to me and i cannot imagine slowly just forgetting them.
In another point of view, how would you feel if your loved one was losing his/ her memory. They wouldn't be able to recognise you and you becomes a stranger. I cried at that thought. All i can say is " Remember me this way".
¶ 1:36 PM
The story "The Unlikely Gift". Bascially it is about Sanford Cohern who is gradually losing his memory due to Alzheimer, hence he went over to stay with his daughter, Elizabeth Cohern, as his wife couldn't stand him any longer. When he went over to stay at Elizabeth's house, he couldn't even recognise his own daughter. Elizabeth has a daughter Ava who is only one year old. Miraculously even though Ava and her grandfather were in two different worlds, they enjoyed each other's company. They could communicate with each other, in a way Elizabeth couldn't. They would Elizabeth felt left out from their world and sometimes she felt like an intruder world but she didn't mind. She knew gradually Ava would be joining her in the world of coherent thought. But her father was never coming back. When her dad was officially diagnosed with Alzheimer, he cried " I am dying, of this Alzenheimer's! i want a cigarette."His helpless and lonliness however was felt by Ava as she hum with him to the song that goes "Suddenly, I'm not half the man i used to be ". All this while, even thought Sanford loved Ava, he couldn't remember her name. The man loved her so completely, even though he never learned her name. However Elizabeth was wrong, he remembered. He remember Ava . The story ends with this paragraph " It was as though the brain of my father and the brain of my daughter had crossed on their ways to opposite sides of life. They looked upon each other with fond familiarity, each heading to the place the other had come from. And oh his ways out of life, instead of having lost the abilities to speak, to walk and to negotiate the world, i like to think Daddy has given them to Ava. He has passed on the Keys. "
i feel that i am unable to narrate the whole story as the reader digest did ( understatement), i really encourage you to read it up. The point that strike me the most was the part about Sanford gradually forgetting everyone around him, slowly being robbed away of his memories. i was questioning how i would feel if without my knowledge, i lose all my memories. Forget all the good times that i had, forget my loved ones. I shivered at that thought. Memories are very dear to me and i cannot imagine slowly just forgetting them.
In another point of view, how would you feel if your loved one was losing his/ her memory. They wouldn't be able to recognise you and you becomes a stranger. I cried at that thought. All i can say is " Remember me this way".
¶ 1:36 PM
