I want to talk about the quote by Proust that I mentioned in my final paper:

“People do not die for us immediately, but remain bathed in a sort of aura of life which bears no relation to true immortality but through which they continue to occupy our thoughts in the same way as when they were alive. It is as though they were traveling abroad.”

Proust is pretty smart when it comes to thinking about what the past will mean to us in the future. My Oma is traveling abroad to me, she is not immortal, but she is just here. She remains bathed in all the memories I shared with her and all the moments she spent in her life leading up until her battle with Alzheimer’s. Who is to say what she does remember from her battle with Alzheimer’s either?

Oma occupies my thoughts constantly and especially while I’ve been working on the memory project. She meant so much to me and she taught me so much of her wisdom that I want use in my life from now on. Although her time with Alzheimer’s was ultimately a terrible thing to happen, it did teach me to cherish memories. Now I have the responsibility and the want to cherish her memories alongside mine too. It’s my job to know all I can about my grandma and to be able to share it with other people and my future family.

I thank her for the opportunity she has given me even after her death. I will be traveling abroad (with her in spirit) next fall to Indonesia with an independent contract to write a book about Alzheimer’s and family. I couldn’t of done it without her incredible life stories.