Introduction:
We are at this time going to examine the cycle of life and how it affects all living beings.
Once a man, twice a child,” is a proverb. It’s not a Biblical one but a good one. Proverbs are brief sayings that distill wisdom into memorable words. We value proverbs because they illuminate the human experience. This proverb points out what we frequently see.
A child is born and is dependent upon someone else for everything necessary to sustain life. As the child grows and matures he or she is able to care for themselves and becomes fully functional as they progress and grow into adult hood, but all too often the adult reverts to childlike attitudes, actions and ability to function independently. This is caused by natural aging, an ill health condition such as a Stroke, Heart Attack, Parkinsons, Alchemizes disease. Many times it is a combination of ill health and natural ageing which compounds the effects. It is common to hear it said that someone is “in their second childhood” because of the way they act;
having to be told when, where and how to go, when and what to wear and eat, when to take medications, when to go to bed and when to get out of bed, many times having to wait for assistance with those activities and others such as; eating, grooming, bathing, toileting, getting up and down. After a child matures and starts to function as a young adult and enjoy life the thought never enters their mind that one day they will be dependent on others to help them with everything again. The only way to bypass this phase of life is that you die young.
Jesus referred to the cycle of life when He made His prediction of Peter’s death that would Glorify Him It is stated in (St. John21 :18) and it says: “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.” When Peter was young he could have avoided this but in his old age he had no choice but to yield. That is true of all living beings.
If you have a relative or friend that is going through their second childhood you must first learn to be patient with them because they are not as quick moving as they once were and you will need to move slowly with them. They will not remember things you tell them or explain to them and many times will again request the same info that you just gave them. Finally you must learn to be considerate of their situation. Many times they will say harsh things to you and seem ungrateful for your help and will many times lash out at you. You must consider their situation and realize that they are not in control. The natural ageing affects or the illness is controlling them and causing them to act in ways or say things that they would never do or say were they in a normal state of mind and health. Realizing it is not them you must learn to ignore those outburst and not retaliate them. Helping one through the second childhood is usually more difficult than the first phase. There is however a humorous side if one is suffering from a loss in hearing or clarification. They will repeat many things they thought you said that will be totally different from what was said. It will sound similar but is so far off that it is downright funny. I had that problem and it got to the place that my grand kids would say something and ask me what they said and be ready for the laugh and I would laugh with them.
Conclusion
This short book was written as a result of experience and some extensive research to understand what was happening to me. I was 59, healthy and Jubilant when I was suddenly and unexpectedly hit by a major stroke. I never thought anything like this would happen to me. I had not been in a hospital as a patient for 40 years. I thought that other people got ill but not me. All of a sudden I had to accept the reality of having been hit by a serious illness that would change my life. I had been use to doing everything for myself and taking care of all of my financial affairs. The stroke affected some of my mental functions but I maintained my mobility and the use of my hands. I did however find that I did not see and hear as well as I had in the past. I lost my depth and motion perception. As a result of this my driving ability was severely affected. I had to accept the fact that I should no longer drive and I would be dependent on my wife to do the driving. In past years I had made my living as a traveling Co. representative that drove an average of 30,000 miles a year. My memory, comprehension of new material and my concentration was also heavily affected. Again I” had to accept the fact that my wife would be handling all of the household business matters.(What a scary thought) It was a learning process for her and an adaptive one for me. So far we have both survived. At this point I want to thank God for a dedicated Godly wife of 40 years As she stood beside my bed She said to me some of the most encouraging words I had ever heard. Her words were; “Honey you have taken care of me and the kids for 40 years We will now take care of you with the help of the Lord. After about 3 years my son stepped in and moved both of us into his house in Las Vegas that was much too large for him. This was done so that he could help his mom care for me until I was well. After 5 month with him I was hit with a second major stroke that partially paralyzed my left side. After discharge from the hospital I was admitted to a rehabilitation center to help restore my mobility and hand use. functions. As I write this I visit the center once weekly for outpatient therapy. This writing was done with one hand because the left fingers are not functional enough to press asdf. It has been hard for me to accept the constant help of others to do simple things like buttoning my right shirt sleeve, tying my shoe and washing my back in the shower. At the age of 63 I can see many of the second childhood signs creeping up on me. . My wife and son has been most helpful and supportive and I am learning to accept it. Many times for older seniors they do not realize that this is happening to them so family and friends must realize what is happening and put forth extra effort to help their loved ones through this final phase of the life cycle. I see a definite benefit in all this because God is molding me into what He wants me to ultimately be. I will be better than what I was and able to serve Him better and He will be Glorified through it all. I have grown stronger in my faith and have become better and not bitter. I hope that this short writing has been a blessing to you and was well worth the time you spent reading it.
Rev. eorgeryor Th.M.
Trinityman@cox.net
Author Resource:- http://www.revgeorge.myeweb.net
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