I'm 81 and moved back from Oakland, CA with my husband of almost 40 years, John Sullivan, to the family home I helped build in Shenandoah, VA starting at age 8 along with my brother Bill and sister Peggy. 

John is in the early mid stage of mixed dementia, likely Alzheimer's. Starting in 2008, when he was diagnosed with the common precursor to dementia, mild cognitive impairment, MCI, I researched everything I could to prevent his MCI to turning into dementia. Although I failed in that, I did learn some amazing lessons:

• Whatever makes life richer- - especially creativity, spirituality, engagement, service, and resourcefulness, makes life with dementia richer for eveyone involved;
• Shame about dementia of any kind is optional. Refusing to be shamed is the biggest gift a person who lives with dementia can give to his or her care partner and everyone else.
• John's and my marriage has become more joyous every year since he got noticeable memory and cognitive issues.  That's common among the people we know who bring our best gifts to the challenges of dementia.
  
• I am a town crier of great and necessary news about dementia and to pass on stories of hope and how-20.
• Hard as I work to deal with John's dementia, taking time to play and to finish a load of writing that matters to me is critical to his life and me.
• I have never been more inspired by a calling nor more scared of it. Which is why I so need this group and have avoided fully engaging in it.

I need and can give critique. As a long-time professional writer, I learned how to get over ego (most of the time) and listen to how my writing impacts others, or not. Much of my best writing involves spirit and work, conscious business, integrative law, creativity mixed with how/to, everyday spirituality, and how my experience of being a paralegal supports our best life.  

I dream of finishing and selling books on how to reclaim the natural genius that's born into us but too soon trained out of us, practical visioning skills and habits, how to thrive with dementia even if you can't afford it, and two fantasy novels. 

For all these writings, I have so much of the content done that everything is doable to the extent that I just do it, with the help of others, provided I take superb care of my health. A big problem to overcome is over-abundant creativity and extroversion motivation that often battles resistant introversion.

I dream of making good money from the work that calls me not just to support John and myself, but also to serve and have fun all the way. I have made good money before by speaking and workshops and can do that again.

Thanks, George, for doing your work so well with so much attractive joy.

PS-- this picture is older. My hair is now almost white, and I'm wrinklier. Haven't got any decent  pics lately, just a few snapshots.