Behavioral Challenges: Sharing the word of God, part 3

This story is continued from Sharing the word of God, part 2.

The threat of Robert’s arrest constricted my days in a belt of anxiety. And at night, I lay awake contemplating where we might move that would be safer. If we didn’t live near a school would that solve the problem? Should we move out of town to a lot in the country so that Robert wouldn’t encounter anyone anywhere or get into any trouble? If we didn’t move, would Robert be arrested and incarcerated?

Cast out

My ruminations all sound so fantastical in the retelling, but when you are faced with the diminishment of a loved one, you are largely cast out of society to fend for yourself in whatever way you can. At least it seems that way. We’re supposed to be self-reliant, right? What if we really can’t manage on our own? What if we need help?

I posted Robert’s picture and details of his dementia diagnosis on Next Door. Kind souls who understood what Robert and I were going through stepped up to help. They had experience with dementia in their own families. Lovely neighbors, worried about Robert’s safety, reached out to have me pick him up when he’d stood for too long at the same intersection, seemingly unclear on what to do next. Good friends fanned out in spokes to search for him when the temperature topped 111…