Playing Fair and Being Kind

Yesterday, shortly after 6 P.M., son Scot MacKenzie Goodwin passed onto a different place. Scot was a victim of early onset Alzheimer’s Disease. He has been moving from hospital to medical facility to institution for the past year as he lost ground in his struggle to retain whatever level of cognition he could. It has been a long year filled with sadness. Visits with Scot have been moments of highs and lows. During one visit toward the end of our lingering hopes, Scot turned his attention toward me in a curious way. His eyes gained focus and he looked at my hair above my eyes. He reached out carefully and with one swipe brushed a wayward lock toward the side it had strayed from. Then he retreated back to that place of mystery I could never enter. I felt as if he had become the parent and I had become the child he never had. A precious moment I shall hold dear forever.

Rest in Peace, dear boy. I will love you always.