When I was a little girl I dreamed that I would become a famous singer. I spent hours waiting for my favorite song to play, so I could push the record button on my cassette tape player. I wrote songs and poetry, as early as age 9, to help me wrestle with my childhood emotions.

 

As you might have guessed by now, I did not become a famous singer; however, the need to express myself through writing has always remained. When my mother was hallucinating daily, from her dementia, and trying to run away, I was feeling out-of-control, too. I didn't know whom to talk to or turn to for understanding about what our family was experiencing. I literally felt my body shaking because my emotions were beating me up inside. These feelings needed an escape. I had to find a way to express them through writing, even though it felt like I didn't have the time or energy to do so. 

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I began writing a blog on WordPress. The release of emotions was like a volcano spewing words onto a page. The "Scrambler" ride called dementia that I found myself buckled into had begun to spin out of control and had taken over my mind and spirit. Expressing myself through writing, however, moved me slowly down the path towards healing.

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Sometimes Grandma Calls Me Jean was not a book I had been planning to write. I was lying in bed one morning, between drowsy and awake, when words began flowing through my head. I remember saying, "Lord, what do you want me to do with this?" That's where it all began. I pray that my obedience will provide some comfort and insight to those who choose to read this sweet story of Grace and her grandma. 

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The message of this book is that no one should ever feel alone on a dementia journey with a loved one, including children. Although Sometimes Grandma Calls Me Jean deals specifically with dementia, it can also be a story for teaching children generally how to respect, honor, and care for our elders. Children can be taught many things, but it is qualities of "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23) that will transform their lives and forever impact others along the way.