It seems like we have now reached the season(s) of which we are more likely to be going to funerals/memorials rather than weddings/showers. We went to my uncles’ not long ago and last weekend, we went to our church friend, Daniel’s.

It was a celebration of life service in which it is not necessary to dress in black. It was encouraged to wear his favorite sports team outfits (I happened to wear my royal blue shirt…dodger blue!) Lowell led in worship and Pastor Tom preached a sermon. There was a time of sharing from Daniel’s friends. He loved movies, sports, talking (lol), serving in the church, and sharing Christ with others. 

Anson remembered him as his Awana leader many years ago in which memorizing verses would give him baseball and Marvel cards (from his own pocket). He cared about the kids put in his charge and even if they didn’t know Christ at that time, he wanted the seeds of the Christian faith to be planted in their hearts. I remember being in the same life group with him during my short time at New Life Church and also attending one of his Super Bowl parties where it was my first time getting heart burn because of all the great (and rich) food! Ironically, the day after this memorial service was Super Bowl Sunday. 

We hadn’t talked to him for a while since we’ve been in the Bay Area and then moved to Camarillo, but almost every time we visited New Life, we would talk briefly as he would faithfully be in the back of the room. He suffered from esophageal cancer for the last few years of his life, but he remained steadfast in his trust in God and tried to serve to his capability. 

Daniel is someone I can look up to and see how the Christian life should be lived, how the race should be run. God will say to him, “well done, good and faithful servent.” I hope to strive to be faithful and loving as him and to serve others with joy and gladness. Farewell, Daniel. See you later. Hope you enjoyed watching the Super Bowl from the sky 🙂

My dad was diagnosed with dementia in April 2023. At the time, we knew that he was forgetful (my mom was thinking of buying AirTags for his phone/keys in May 2022), and the reason why my mom wanted to give me and Anson one of their cars was because my dad was driving a little erratically. He got into a car accident (all parties were fine), but later, they went to the hospital to get him checked out. That was when three doctors recommended that he not drive anymore as he could be a danger to himself and others. It has been downhill ever since.

Seems like each day is a new challenge. He frequently can’t find his glass, wallet, or keys. This time, it does look like he has lost his keys so we will have to make a copy of everything for him when we see them this Thursday. We just bought them AirTags to make it easier for them to find if/when this happens again. Some things are also just getting harder for him to remember how to do: turning on the stove, how to use a charger to charge his phone, unlocking the car door, etc. In his own mind, I think that he is trying to protect his family, so he goes through my mom’s stuff in her purse and hides it because they are important…but then he doesn’t remember that he does that or where he puts it. Just last month, he left the house twice and didn’t know how to get back home, and people at the hospital next door called us since they couldn’t reach my mom. We had to buy a door lock so that my dad won’t be able to leave the house in the middle of the night again.

The last time we visited was for my dad’s birthday in January and we stayed over for three nights…never again. The last night was just too much for me. I woke up 3 times for various reasons: one included my dad walking around and being afraid of ghosts in the room. I feel sorry that my mom has to be his caregiver. He usually becomes more agitated and frustrated as the night goes on and does not sleep at night and becomes restless. He does not make much sense and seems to live in his own delusions/hallucinations. We wanted to live in Camarillo because the weather is so much better than the valley, and also for us to have a little bit of space from parents, but we left the door open by buying a bigger place in case they ever needed to live with us…with my dad’s progression, I’m not sure if it would be wise if he can just walk out the door. Part of it is selfishness in which we don’t want our lives fully focused on caregiving, but part of it is also safety for him. I think we’re just taking it one day at a time. Praying for patience and endurance and compassion towards him…I’m sadly going to need it…