What does it mean to have glorious opportunities? Yes, you did attend one of the best universities in the United States and received an outstanding education. Having landed a top job at a prestigious law firm, you’re moving up in your career. What else did you achieve? You married the woman of your dreams and are a parent of three wonderful children. You like taking chances, so you bought a raffle ticket, and hit the jackpot. What else has enhanced your life of dreams? You have become a well-known motivational speaker with numerous engagements. Having met life’s challenges with success, you conclude that you have been blessed with God’s goodness.

Turned Upside Down

Sometimes a misfortunes has a strange way of changing a life. You didn’t expect to be diagnosed with dementia. You became like British retired medical professional, Dr. Jennifer Bute, who was diagnosed with this same disease. In “Dementia – A Glorious Opportunity” by Kreativity on Vimeo April 26, 2011, Dr. Bute told the public of her remarkable years as a General Practitioner, and all the wonderful things she did, for her patients. Talking about her disability – not with discontentment, she now views her affliction as a glorious opportunity from God, to do a lot more good for people. Will Joe too, be like Dr. Bute?

Joe’s dreams, plans, and fortunes have been thrown into disarray, and everything seems to be turned upside down. His whole life’s landscape was re-arranged and transformed. What sort of dilemma has his situation become? His life was blunted and everything seems as though it was changed for the worse. Some of his friends misunderstood his misfortune, but how is his affliction bad? Loving friends and neighbors rallied around him for being a superb role model, in his church, and community.

There’s by SIX Cycle Mind – a Filipino band of alternative music that sings about Joe’s phenomenon in having his world turned “Upside Down.” The band released two albums by Shine (2003) and Panorama (2005). Presently, Joe’s situation can be likened to a person that now has to do metaphorical handstands, headstands, and somersaults to get through life. For he’s contemplating life changes like those of Dr. Bute, to cope with the new person he has become.

Missed your Chance?

Some may feel Joe has missed the chance of a life time. You yourself may experience emptiness while afflicted with a debilitating disease. But it isn’t right to see when one door closes another opens? It’s essayist, philosopher, and poet, Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 – 1882), who observed, “For everything you have missed, you have gained something else, and for everything you gain, you lose something else.” Viewing your situation as gain, and not a loss, will bring untold benefits in your life. Why don’t you be like Dr. Bute?

View your life as having a new meaning, while imagining new ways of thinking, and coping. It’s like starting over one’s life from scratch, and assuring oneself everything will work out, for the better. Strange as it may seem, dementia like that of Dr. Bute’s and Joe’s may be a blessing in disguise. A person must realize that he or she is bearing this cross for the long haul. It’s good for them to

reflect on their newness of life, for God sees them as complete persons. Every sufferer will have to consider himself or herself as being a valuable member of society. For in life, we have to be calm and confident in the face of our trials.

Quality Of Life

Promoting general well being when living with dementia is important. It’s necessary to become more physical. Let a friend accompany you for walks and live in a life-affirming community. Challenge yourself in new ways. Monitor your ability to read and if you can’t, find someone who will read to you. Be certain to gear all activities, to the growth and development of your emotional, physical, and mental health. As the disease progresses, be sure that your finances, and social aspects of your life are in order. It’s author, salesman and motivational speaker Zig Ziglar (1926 – 2012), who pointed out, “Fact: If standard of living is your number one objective, quality of life almost never improves. But if quality of life is your number one objective, standard of living invariably improves.” As a person with dementia your life like other patients will improve, because your focus and priority will be based on treatment of quality.