Heartbreak

You always hear about people who are struggling with a parent with dementia or Alzheimer's.  I found out today just how rough that is when my dad and step mom came over and he didn't know who I was.  I hadn't seen my dad for over 50 years and five years ago we connected for the first time.  It's like loosing him all over again now that he doesn't know who I am.  It breaks your heart to have a loved one look at you and you can see in their eyes that they have no idea who you are.  I saw that today in my father's eyes and it tore my soul apart, the pain was awful.  I can now honestly say "I understand what you mean" when somebody talks about the heartbreak of Alzheimer's or dementia because I'm living that nightmare now.