Wow! Great question, huh?!
Not bragging, but at the very moment in my life I am helping my elderly parents who live nearby. My father has fairly significant dementia, but his sense of humor is outstanding. He still has that and it is absolutely wonderful to be around and to share in his laughter. He is 87 now, and his short-term memory is not good at all; but his long-term memory is amazing. He has hiked all 48 4,000 footers (mountains) in the New Hampshire White Mountains (since he was a teenager) and can tell you every trail of every mountain he climbed. He can even tell you how to get there from here! He amazes me.
So, I guess, right now, I am more or less thanking myself on this one because the gift I am receiving from just spending time with my father, listening to his stories, laughing at his humor, sharing in his frustration with losing his memory and mind, and humbly being a much-needed “friend” to him is making me into the person I have always wanted to be thanked for….A caring, compassionate, honest, empathic listener.
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