Earlier this week, I could hear Dad talking before I turned the corner. You could tell in his voice—he was in a great mood. He was shootin’ the breeze with the staff.

Two Hats, One Shoe

I turned the corner and there he was: two hats, one shoe. His fancy brim stacked on top of his purple bucket hat with his readers poking out from underneath… and one gray tennis shoe. He knew he was turning heads and he was eating it up! 

We looked and looked for that other shoe… it must be in the same place as all the other missing items.

Style and Strut

Now he has multiple pairs of shoes, but when he’s having a good day it is all about style. I tried to get him to put on another pair, but he wasn’t having it. When I left, he was rocking just one hat and that one shoe. I told him I’d be back the next day with a new pair. 

Always the generous one, he handed me a playing card from his wallet to buy his shoes. I asked, “Dillards or Walmart?” I got one of those looks. Walmart shoes—aisle 18!

New shoes!

The next day, David and I returned with new shoes—$16.96 from Walmart! As soon as he spotted the gray tennis shoes, he danced in the hallway and handed out huge high fives! He was grinning from ear to ear. We’d made his day! 

“Wooowee! These feel good!” 

Balancing On One Foot

The craziest thing about dementia is what you know, what you forget, and what your brain makes up for you. Just a few weeks ago, he couldn’t put on his shoes by himself. But that day, there he was—standing in the hallway, balancing on one foot, slipping on his new shoe like it was nothing. Then he moved to the other foot—and forgot to take that shoe off first. I reminded him, and he kicked it off without missing a beat. 

He proudly walked around in his new shoes, showing them off to everyone.

Truth in the Confusion

He started talking about shopping with my grandmother, years ago. He said, “Look, here’s a picture of your grandma—right here,” as he held up a photo of himself from a couple of years ago. That photo’s been framed in his room for months. 

I had to look twice. And for the first time, I really saw it—how much he looks like her. The confusion made so much sense.

I guess that’s the thing—amidst the confusion, there’s so much truth…

New shoes feel great! 

Sometimes we all need a little reminder! 

My dad looks A LOT like his mama! (If we’re honest…acts a lot like her, too!)