Miss Catherine

Miss Catherine is an amazing, determined, and charming lady. When I say determined, its with a capital “D”.

Miss Catherine, a neighbor, and someone I rarely spoke to, approached me one day, asking if I would become her book editor.She was only armed with the knowledge that I homeschooled my children and had a working knowledge of computers.

While I tried to convince her that I was hardly qualified and my time was limited, she wouldn’t take no for an answer. She had the most magnetizing way of not listening to my reasons for trying to turn her down , so I found myself telling her that I would give editing her book a try.

I thought it would be a few months project, but it ended up being over a year.

I was compensated well, and in many ways, but the best of all was getting to know this engaging and fascinating lady and the life story of her and her husband who had passed away, Irwin.

I enjoy meeting new people, and as far as I am concerned, everyone has a story to tell, Miss Catherine was certainly no exception.

I learned lots of wonderful life lessons next to this dear lady. She is so much that I could never be. Persistent, fiercely independant, and charming the pants off of everyone while relentless to get her way.

A lot of blood, sweat, and defiantely some tears later the book was relatively done. The book being about her struggle with being married to someone who had been striken with Alzheimer’s disease, at a time when it wasn’t spoke of so much, like it is now.

Even though a great deal of the focus is on Alzheimers, this book is mainly a love story. How Miss Catherine, having gone through a very rough divorce, meets her Prince Charming. A dignified, gentle and loving man named Irwin, literally bumps into her life, they married, and soon after, Miss Catherine became ill. It describes how he took such loving care of her, and dealt with her young son, taught him things, and fell into place with her family. His background was that of being a military man, and had deeply interesting stories during some battles and his career. They made a wonderful cozy life together, in Maryland, and their story continues with Miss Catherine’s job taking her to Germany. Irwin supported Miss Catherine in everyway, and off they went, a whirlwind of fun, sightseeing, making new friends, and a few trials, as that is when Alzheimers began to be demonstrated in Irwin. Next, it was Miss Catherine’s turn to take care of Irwin, and what a job it was.

Miss Catherine with little resources to go by in those days, used common sense, creativity and all her love to deal with the harsh situation her once loving, intelligent, and deeply memoried husband now found himself in.

Even if you have never had a loved one with Alzheimers, I sincerely recommend this couple’s love story.

 

Thank you Miss Catherine, for being you, and giving me such a wonderful opportunity to know you and your life with Irwin.