Category: children

Who Are You Today?

Who Are You Today?

Who are you today?
Is the person I know there?
Or have you gone away?

Right know you still know my name,
But whether you love me or have me
Depends on whether I play along with your mental games!

They say I should not argue or disagree,
And never contradict,
But the mean things you say I know cannot be.

You are living in delusions and bad dreams,
And you believe all you see there,
Even at the expense of tearing your family apart it seems.

You claim things are stolen, carried away,
And even when for you we find them;
You cannot possibly be wrong so, “that is not them,” you say!

Some things you even tell us where to look,
And when we bring them to you,
You are surprised and shook.

Some days you are almost you.
Other days you are angry and mean.
Your character changes by whose talking with you.

You scream, yell, beat your fists,
Play the victim, the martyr, the guilt and pity cards.
Your words and personality are a constant twist.

You’ve become so ugly and mean,
Your loved ones cringe at your name on their phone,
Because of the stress the conversation will glean.

We try to help you any way that we can,
But the more we do,
The more the flames of your delusions fan.

We watch as you steadily decline,
In both body and mind,
Knowing the help, you need you will never agree to find.

I see only glimpses of the person I once knew.
If you could truly see and hear yourself,
You would know this is not you!

You used to worry so much about what people would think.
Now the things you say and do,
Would have made the real you, in shame shrink!

You talk about and try to end your life.
You say you wish you have never married, never had kids.
Your words drip with hate and we do our best to take it in strife.

Who are you today?
Will you talk to me, love me, hug me,
Or bang your fists, scream, cry and send me away?

Who are you today?
Will I know you at all except by your face?
And will your words be more things I wish you wouldn’t say?

Who are you today?
Will we get a tiny glimpse at least for a moment,
Of our loved one today?

Who are you today?
We beg you to get help before it’s too late.
And this person stays, and the real you goes completely away.

Who are you today?
We know it will happen eventually,
But if you just let us get you help, it wouldn’t have to be today.

Ginger Burow
11/14/24

Alzheimer’s and Dementia are rude and cruel diseases, not only to the individual that has it, but also to everyone they love and that loves them. It turns them into people they would never aspire to be, causing them to act in ways that would mortify them if they were in their right minds.

As a family member it calls into question everything you thought you knew about them and yourself. You constantly have to remind yourself, they don’t know what they are doing or saying. But just like what they are doing and saying they believe is real when it isn’t, it is also very real to you that they are treating you this way and talking to you in this manner, and accusing your of atrocious things. It is very hard to accept that the person that is supposed to love you, can be the meanest, ugliest person to you. That they can speak to you with a voice dripping with disdain, venom and hate all because you didn’t agree with something they said. They can be so angry an unbelieving that they need medical help, that they hate you, wish you were never born, want to kill themselves, and sometimes you.

Your soul aches and pities them wanting to help, but they refuse. Your mind and heart reel from their words, actions and voice unable to believe that they really don’t know what they are doing and saying, but knowing there is no other answer, because the real person would be distraught if they could really see their own behavior.

Love is the answer, and you try to keep that going and in mind, but some days it is very hard to remember this person loved you. Try your best to remember who they were instead of who they are now. Take a moment alone to cry when you need to, and realize you may need it more than you allow. That is where distance has become a friend. Just for a few days when things are super ugly you minimize contact just until the current rage calms a bit. Then you get a few days of someone close to who they should be. Oh for those few days!

Faith and God are the strongholds, along with family. Staying strong as a family even though this loved one may be trying desperately to tear you apart in order to bolster their delusional beliefs is a major key. Support one another and your dementia patient as best as you can. You will need each other as this progresses. Sometimes sharing your experiences about the situation is the best way to release stress and gain a hold in the moment.

Pray without ceasing. Pray for comfort, strength, peace and love. But above all pray for help through God’s wisdom as to how to proceed and confront each situation as it comes. Pray for the Holy Spirit to intercede on your behalf, guiding your thoughts, words and deeds while working with this person and your involved family. Pray for peace and joy in each day amidst the storms and the power to recognize the blessings that are still there.

Lastly, take a walk. Look to God’s glorious and beautiful world to show you there is still wonder and beauty to be had. Then fill your soul with it every chance you get, especially in between the gathering storms, so that His inner peace might lead you. This is appropriate for all life’s trials.


The Best Haunted Thrill-The 290 Haunted House vs. The Theater of Terror

This year, the Fredericksburg area boasted two haunted houses for our Halloween enjoyment. The first and original for the area was Audelia Delacruz’s Haunted House,also know as The 290 Haunted House, which started at her house in Stonewall some years ago, but has been housed in the large white building on 290 East across from Trade Days for at least the last 3 years. The second, Theater of Terror, was hosted by the Freddyburg Youth Theater and the Fredericksburg Theater Company and took place at the Steve W.  Shepherd Theater or in reality the store-room there on the FTC facility grounds.

First let me say that I do not scare easy at these events.  I am more likely to get spooked walking around in my own house, or outside in the pasture in the dark than I am at a Halloween event. My own imagination and fear of animals that might attack, etc. in the dark are more likely to get me to jump. But that being said, I am always looking forward to the event that might scare me. To this end, I was very excited to attend these two events, just to see if they could scare me.

Both houses are put together by a collaboration of adults and teens/children and participation inside is both as well. One has several years experience of putting on a haunted house production, where the other is in its first year, unless I have somehow missed it in past years. If that is the  case please correct me. The latter has years of experience putting on theater productions. Both have the resources available to put on an exceptional production. Both have smoke, strobe lights, and dimly lit rooms. One also had other lights,  flashing or glowing things to add to the effects as well of lots of sound effects. Each also had a bit of narration.

Here is the major difference, props and costumes. One far out did the other. Any guesses on which one you think it was?

In one house, every participant was well costumed and fully make-upped so that they were the character they were playing and could not be easily recognized as themselves. In the other, this was not the case. I readily recognized several of them, though in costume, not nearly as well as the other house, and make up was little to none other than a bit of blood on the hands and maybe face.

One made full use of props and decorations, and created a unique theme for each room of the house, covering a multitude of creepy specters to incite your fears. There were people, scary statues,  and any number of things that left you waiting and wondering, “is it a real person or not and is it going to move and get me when I go by?” The other house had little difference between sets from room to room, and had almost the same theme in each.

One house also made much more use of the space they had available making the experience last longer, the other was considerably shorter. Sadly, in this second house, I was surprised to already be at the end. A literal, “that’s it???,” moment.

Another big difference was price, $5  for the 290 Haunted House verses $12 for the Theater of Terror.

I do give the participants props for all their hard work during the hours of operation  they made a valiant effort to scare their guests.  Even there when you consider one was a house of family and friend participants that are out to have a good time and provide the community some entertainment, and the other a theater arts group with the same goal, perhaps with a bit of fund-raising thrown in,  there was still a night and day difference between the two.  They do all deserve praise for all the before work organizing and setting these houses up, and now tearing them down.

Now before I tell you which was which  I have a question for you.  Think about the two groups,  which group would expect it to be?

The winner for me, this year was Audelia Delacruz’s  290 Haunted House. To answer the question, did it scare me? No it didn’t scare me, even though I was quite impressed with what all they had done and I did quite enjoy going through. It did make me jump and laugh at myself at least once, and it has done that every year. I will be back again next year.

So now to both groups, I can’t wait to see how you raise the bar next year.

 

 

 

 

Once Upon A Christmas Day

Once upon a Christmas Day,
On the floor asleep I lay.
Cuddled beneath the Christmas tree,
With a fire blazing in the stove next to me.

The lights were shining with colors bright,
Casting warm reflections in dawning light.
My eyes though mostly still asleep,
Still saw their beauty in the dreams of sleep.

Around the tree and my resting head,
Dozens of presents had been shed.
Bright colored wrapping covering each one,
Each tied with a bow when it was done.

Stockings were hung from cabinet knobs,
Filled with goodies by the gobs.
Pretty decorations sat here and there,
Santas, Snowmen, and Angels placed with care.

A miniature village covered the shelves,
Seemingly put there by Santa’s elves.
All of these show beauty and splendor,
And inspired joy on a morning yet tender.

Two things stood out most important of all,
Displayed on a table, not decking the hall.
The first was a Bible opened to Mark,
Telling the story the angels did hark!

The second was a crèche depicting the scene,
Of the Christ child’s birth in a manger mean.
Despite all the trappings, He is still the reason,
There would be no true Christmas, He is the season.

We enjoy all the lights and the glitter and bows,
But may each person who celebrates, truly know;
That it is only this way because God made it so,
It’s according to his plan that this Jesus we know.

There is no meaning in all at Christmas we share,
If Jesus Christ our Lord is not kept there.
There is no reason to have great joy,
If the Savior does not this Holiday employ.

Once upon a Christmas day,
Christ was born in just God’s way.
He came to save us from all sin,
So that the Devil should not win.

It’s all according to God’s plan,
That His true story the world should span.
So as I awake to Christmas bright,
I first celebrate the Christ, born Christmas night.

Rocket Camp for Grades 4-9

 

Rockets are not just for high school students. If you are in grades 4-9 there is a rocket program just for you. It is the Community Education Rocket Camp. It will be held in room# 401 at the Fredericksburg High School on Monday, June 6 through Thursday, June 9.

High school STEM/Rocket program instructor, Andrew Matthes and an assistant, will help each student build and launch their personal rocket. The laws of rocket stability, aerodynamics and fluid dynamics will also be taught providing students with a better understanding of the vehicle they are building and what makes it fly.

Two sessions will be held daily. The morning session will be from 9:00 a.m.-12 noon, and the afternoon session will be from 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.  Camp tuition is $99  and each student will receive a camp t-shirt, and all the supplies needed to complete their vehicle.

The students will launch their vehicles during their class session on Thursday at the practice field next to the Fredericksburg Primary school. Parents are invited to watch.

This camp is a great introduction to the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics) program. It is a fun and educational way to peak your child’s interest in future learning. Plus they get to build, launch and keep their rocket as a trophy of their accomplishment.

Here is a link to the Community Education brochure for the summer session. The Rocket Camp is on page 2. The registration form is on page 8.

https://fisd.org/commed/FISD%20Community%Ed%20Flyers/SUMMER%202016%20BROCHURE.pdf

Camp starts Monday, so if you are interested it would be best to bring your payment and registration form in to the FISD district office at 234 Friendship Lane, Fredericksburg, Texas. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  Registration for this class is available until class limits are reached or classes begin at 9:00 a.m.  and 1:00 p.m. on Monday.

Day 224-Christmas Reflections

When I gaze upon the Christmas tree,
Oh what beauty I do see.
With bows of green and balls of gold,
What a wondrous tradition of old.

As a whole it’s magnificent,
An ever green that seems heaven-sent.
It shines with light from up above,
A bright reflection of our Savior’s love.

When most look they see only a tree,
Decorated for all to see.
But it is more than meets the eye,
A lasting tradition by and by.

The tree itself so evergreen,
A symbol of eternal life it means.
The lights that twinkle oh so bright,
A reflection of Christ, the world’s true light.

And what of the balls that glitter there,
They reflect the world around we share.
Look closely in them and you will see,
A revolving picture of you and me.

They continuously reflect what passes by
Hidden moments of the world they ply.
Most don’t look closely enough to see,
For each little happening flickers in these.

They capture the bad and the good,
In fleeting moments as only they could.
Look closely next time at these decorations
And watch their constant Christmas reflections.

See the joy in one child’s face,
While on another sadness takes its place.
See all the beauty and festiveness,
And then the rush and anxiousness.

Look close in that ball and watch the world
As each moment is unfurled.
What reflections are seen there;
Is Christmas being spread with care?
Are the reflections that you see,
Worthy of Christmas as they should be?
Are they reflecting Christ to the world,
In the pictures there as the glass balls twirl?

It’s up to each of us to do our part,
So that the Christmas reflections are from our heart.
Christmas reflections shown on a tree,
Should be filled with love and joy for the world to see.