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Excellent take on what I have long thought to be one of the saddest damn diseases out there. You have a nice way of taking a complex topic, both medically and personally (to you), and giving readers just enough information for them to understand the madness of it while conveying your emotional toll in one succinct line to end the essay. Well done.

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Thanks very much, Corey. I worried about that line, whether it would come across as crass, uncaring. But nobody has voiced that opinion

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No, it isn't uncaring. It leaves a lot to the reader’s imagination, which makes a great ending. I think how much you care lies in the subtext of that line. If anybody stops to think for one minute about that sentence, then that reader will understand.

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Yes, thank you

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Jun 5, 2023Liked by Terry Freedman

So many feelings. There really is a difference between mourning and grieving, and you explain it so well and so beautifully here. And the fragments. This post is so moving. Thank you for sharing, then and now.

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Thank you, Amy

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Gosh, Terry. That last line elicited an audible gasp from me. LITERALLY breathtaking writing. Thank you so much for sharing these words.

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Thanks Rebecca. I felt guilty but it's understandable isn't it

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May 8Liked by Terry Freedman

When their suffering is over, grief alternates with relief.

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very true, Ramen. Thanks for commenting

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My grandma died of alzheimer's so I can understand this piece. Witnessing the 'now' she was living was a confused 'now', not clear-minded, and it was heart-wrenching. This idea of now relating to dementia is such a worthy topic I may have to dive into in the future.

How you ended with the sleep you experienced after your mother's passing was such a tender way to show the depth of that most difficult of times.

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Thanks, Renee. I’m sorry to hear about your grandma. You’re right, it really is heart wrenching. Thank you for your comment about the final sentence. I was worried that it would come across as callous.

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This particular reality of life is cruel. I wish so desperately I could eradicate the suffering.

Not callous at all. So real and true, speaking to how this suffering exhausts the human soul.

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