The RHLC!

[Ilikemuppets]

Another nice moment in "Honk of Honks" is when Gobo takes a quick trip to the Gorg's garden to see if Junior has anything that honks. It's a brief scene, but in a way its works. It shows how normal it now is for Gobo and Junior to be talking to each other like friends, rather than thumper and thumpy, hehe.

Yeah! I really like how that moment shows how for things have come in that world for everybody!

And Sara, I know exactly what you mean by sensitive hands. Used to have to always touch those hot pans myself and the steam underneath them, ouch! But I have taken that exactly same work training program that you have! Their the ones who got me a job at the same place you were currently working at.

 

[ReneeLouvier]

God, my life feels like I'm in the ring with Hulk Hogan, but the Hulkster isn't giving up yet.

Went to Nanny's house today. (She's my maternal grandmother.) She has alzhemeier's. ...I'm about to start crying again just typing this....she didn't recognize who I was today. We, we went to celebrate her 75th birthday. Now, it's not gotten so bad (I believe...) that she has completely forgotten who I am; but she did not know who I was by face.

My cousin Brenda, who is in her 40's and has basically become paid-by-barter [she lives for free with in their house 24-7] Registered Nurse for Nanny. She worked previously as a nurse who worked in a retirement home for the elderly who have that and other dementia diseases; and she keeps her licenses as well. She's well qualified!

By what Cousin Brenda says; she's lost her ability to recognize nearly anyone by their faces alone. She described it as like....when she saw me today; she had no clue who the heck I was. Until I said "Hey Nanny! I love you." She knew it was me, because I had called her "Nanny". I'm the only grandchild who calls her "Nanny". Something in her mind registered "Nanny" as "Sara". Then she knew who I was...until I left the room and returned, and it was kinda back to square one again.

Personally, I've been blessed to have 3 grandfathers, 2 grandmothers, and 1 great-grandmother; all who have known me and me them throughout my time on this Earth. Unfortunately my father's father (Granddaddy), father's grandmother (Granny), and mother's father (Grampa), have all died.

The only one's left are my father's mother (Grandmother), mother's step-father (Paw-Paw), and my mother's mother (Nanny).

Is it horrendous to think of having already lost your grandmother...when she's still alive? It still pains me to even know that Nanny won't be around to see me get married.

At least Rob was kind enough to come with me today. I had somebody to talk to; instead of all the bratty cousins of mine. (My cousins tend to ignore me anyways, because they see me as an "adult".)

Heh, it's really sad. I'm still seen as a "baby" or "their little niece" by the adults, (or frankly I don't care or don't particularly understand what their talking about) and I'm shunned by the kids cause they see me as a boring adult.

So when we go to Nanny's house now, I'm pretty much left out of everything. Cousin Brenda has two children, Brittany and Jamie. Brit isn't too bad, she even kinda enjoys the Muppets a bit. Jamie LOVES to pick fights with me, even over nothing. Maybe I'm jealous of the attention or something.

I really yearn for the old days when it would just be me and Momma and Daddy going to spend the night at Nanny's house. No CPAP machines to drag around, (both Mom and Dad have them now) no little dog to worry about, just coming up there about 5 or 6 pm at night, eat a nice dinner...then we'd sit in the living room and talk about stuff, while I'd usually either sit in Momma or Nanny's lap. When I got too big to sit in their laps I'd sit in the floor in front of Nanny's recliner. Then we'd go to bed, and wake up the next day to breakfast, and it was really a nice time.

I know I shouldn't be jealous, but I really feel...well the only word I can think of is "cheated". This disease took my Nanny away, and I'll never get her back! She's lost that fire in her eyes, and I miss it so much...when I gave her a hug today, she didn't hug me back.

I saw Brittany giving Nanny a hug, and Nanny reached up and wrapped her arms around her. I thought, "well, maybe she'd been kinda overwhelmed when I hugged her before..." (there were like, close to 30 people there)

I gave her a hug, when I went to leave. I told her I loved her, gave her a kiss on the cheek...and she still didn't hug me back. She looked at me like I was a stranger.

 

[Skye]

Sara, I am so, so sorry. Alzheimer's Disease is truly devastating. I wish there was a cure or a remedy for it... maybe someday.

But those are such wonderful memories that you have of her and of your times together. You will always have those.

Just try to keep doing what you're doing... showing her the love you have for her, and trying to remind her of who you are. It is hard. But trying to remind her can really help sometimes. My thoughts are with you and your whole family.

 

[CensoredAlso]

Aw, Sara, I understand, at least from my own experience. My Grandpa, who was an artist and very talented and loved being around me, got Alzheimer's and stopped being able to recognize me or anyone else. He just completely went downhill. I mean, it's bad enough when a loved one passes away. But for them to still be around for years and not remember you is very difficult and heart breaking. It's like an extra bit of cruelty thrown in for no good reason.

He had his 90-something birthday a few years back and I had to make a choice as to whether I wanted to go. I ultimately chose not to because it was just all too uncomfortable and strange at the time. It was almost like I also wanted to forget he ever existed, because I didn't want to think about the pain the disease was causing us. But now part of me wishes I had gone. Whether he remembered me or not, he was still the same person who had always been there for me, and now needed my support more than ever. (of course every situation is different and it's up the individual )

I mean we're all going to get old or sick and we can't help it when our bodies and minds start to fail us (though hopefully they'll find a treatment for Alzheimer's in the near future). All we can do is continue to support each other, even and especially through bad times.

I guess that's why many people, including myself at least on good days hehe, choose to belief we are more than our imperfect bodies and that our souls will never really go away. I like to think my Grandfather isn't hindered by the body anymore and is still looking after me. I mean one way to look at it is a Television is just an empty box, until a person's ideas and spirit are placed inside. Or, in a similar way, a puppet is just a sock, until it gains a puppeteer.

Well anyway, hang in there and take things at your own pace. Some times will be easier than others and that's OK. And definitely look to people around you for support. And even if your Grandmother isn't always aware of it, it's good that you're still being there for her when she needs you the most.

And like Skye says, treasure the good memories you have.

 

[Muppet Newsgirl]

Wow...that's really sad, Sara. These have got to be some really rough times for you. Just remember that we're here whenever you need to vent, okay?

 

[Ilikemuppets]

Aw Sara, I'm sorry about all this. My Grandfather had Alzheimer's before he passed away and a lady who was real close to the family's that he used to work with who we affectionately called aunt also got this before she passed away also. It is really tough to deal with. But hang in there.

 

[Muppet Newsgirl]

Agreed...Sara, you've been through a lot lately, and over the last year or so. If it'll make you feel any better, I've been under a lot of stress lately too, due to academics and job hunting. Sure, it's not as serious as what you've got, but it's still a pain.

In the meantime, here's something cheerier: I had yet another dream involving Jim's memorial last night (I've been having a lot of those lately...). The only two things I remember are these: at one point, Richard went back up to the lectern a couple of times and looked around, as if he was looking for something he'd left up there. The other one was that after "Just One Person," all the Muppet performers took a bow for the audience.

 

[CensoredAlso]

I definitely know how it is. I've had a pretty hard time the past few years. Well actually my life has been going pretty well, I'm very fortunate. Nevertheless, I've had a very difficult time staying positive. Sort of like Charlie Brown I guess, "Christmas is coming, but I'm not happy. I don't feel the way I'm suppose to feel."

I'm sure it's partially genetics, lol. But also I've come to realize lately that being positive isn't something that just happens. It's like any muscle in the body, you have to work at and keep it in shape or else it won't work for you!

Also, I don't think we're put on this Earth to be perfectly happy all the time; that's obviously not going to happen. It's not the number of bad things that happen to us in life; what matters is how we choose to deal with them. Whether or not we choose to take the power away from the bad events and reclaim it as our own. I think what's most important isn't the final destination of happiness, but the journey we took getting there.

Also important to remember, everyone's going through the same thing, whether they act like it or not. Like the old Tears of a Clown syndrome. The idea that successful comedians are often quite sad and tormented souls, who use comedy as a way of coping. They make themselves feel better by making other people laugh, even if just for a little while. Like that old song...

"Now if I appear to be carefree, it's only to camouflage my sadness. In order to shield my pride I've tried to cover this hurt with a show of gladness....Now there's some sad things known to man. But ain't too much sadder than the tears of a clown, when there's no one around."

 

[Muppet Newsgirl]

Very true. Like they say in the REM song, "Everybody hurts...sometimes."

It is rather haunting to see someone who's usually cheerful and fun-loving in public, show a sad side in private. I mean...again, look at what Kevin Clash said in the MuppetCast tribute, about when the guys were gathered to watch "Celebration of 30 Years" at Richard's place: it's just the mental image of Richard standing in the next room, talking on the phone, and crying.

But as we've said, it looks as if working with the Muppets was good therapy for Richard, during whatever he had to go through in life, whether it was the loss of his dad, his illness or just life's assorted stresses. Being around the Muppets was good for him, and in turn it was good for us, too.

 

[CensoredAlso]

Probably no one here as seen the Fraggle Rock episode "Junior Faces the Music", at least not for a long time. And I won't give too much away. But that's such a good episode, almost better than "Gorg Who Would Be King." Junior doubts if he really can amount to anything, and Cantus comes along and offers him a choice. He has to ultimately decide what kind of person (or Gorg) he wants to be. Is he going to be more like his extremely flawed parents (lol) or will he follow his own conscience?

C: "You could be a coward. You could be a king. You could be the kind of kid who teaches us to sing. You can be whatever your little heart desires. You could be a walking, talking, breathing ball of fire!....You could be a cowboy. You could be a creep. You can be the king of all the good things in your sleep.

J: I could? !

C: You can be the person that you most admire!

J: Wow!

C: You could be a walking, talking, breathing ball of fire!"

It does seem like Cantus could just as easily be describing RH in some of these lyrics, I think. In a way, Jim in his own way offered young Richard many of these same opportunities when asking him to join the Muppets. The one line I really think hits the nail on the head, "You could be the kind of kid that teaches us to sing." And don't we all want to be that kid?