Grandpa Forgets (Part 1)

"Hi, Grandpa!" exclaimed Maddie on her way to the checkout lane. "Is Grandma here too?" Maddie had come to the supermarket with her dad, who was buying cake mix and ice cream to celebrate her eighth birthday the next day. What's wrong with Grandpa? Maddie wondered. He's staring at me as if he doesn't know me. Maddie noticed that Grandpa had been acting strange lately. She remembered that he'd recently had some medical tests, and Mom had said he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. She knew that was what caused him to forget a lot of things, but she certainly didn't expect him to ever forget her! Just then, Grandma appeared. "Robert, I told you to wait by the magazines," she scolded gently. Seeing Maddie, she gave her a quick hug. "Are you all ready for your birthday party?" she asked. "Party?" asked Grandpa. "Who's having a party?" "Maddie is. We talked about it at breakfast," said Grandma patiently. "Don't you remember?" She took his arm. "Let's go buy a birthday present for a certain little girl, shall we?" Her eyes twinkled as she smiled at Maddie. That night, as Mom tucked her into bed, Maddie told her about Grandpa's strange behavior. Mom sighed. "Grandpa isn't well. The disease he has causes him to forget names, dates, places--and sometimes even people he loves." Maddie swallowed hard. "But Grandpa and I are friends. He said so himself…and friends aren't supposed to forget each other." "I know, honey," Mom said, giving Maddie a hug. "But friends do sometimes forget--especially if they have certain diseases." "But I thought I would always be able to count on Grandpa," Maddie said, her eyes welling with tears. "It's okay to feel sad that Grandpa is sick and his mind doesn't work the way it used to, but just remember that he can't help it when he forgets," said Mom. "Thank God for the good times you had together, and remember that Jesus is always there for both you and Grandpa. Jesus is a friend who sticks even closer than a grandfather, and He will never, ever forget us." As Maddie snuggled into bed, she thanked Jesus that He would never leave her. And she prayed for her grandpa and asked God to help him remember that Jesus would always be with him too. -Carol J. Brookman