Taking the good with the bad..

As life moves on we all go through a series of changes. We recently  had to bring a family member down from another state to live here so that we can care for them.
Responsibilities that I honestly never thought about. When a family member starts the process of dementia, and experiences the struggles with altzimers, it affects everyone.
Going through finances and organizing accounts, all the while helping someone that used to help you is quite humbling. This person is still respected by you, but due to the aging process is not in control of themselves as they used to be. Now you are the one making decisions, and its hard. Its really hard when they experience moments of clarity, think they can take care of themselves, resist you, then a few minutes later forget the conversation/actions ever happened to begin with.
I got the privalege of caregiver this past week, and while my heart aches, I am so glad that now he is close enough (distance wise) for me to help him. Scheduling and watching the therapist come in and run him through a series of exercises snapped me back to watching another family member doing the same thing. The pain from that is still fresh in my mind.
So far, he still calls me by name, although I know it won't be much longer and this too will be taken from him.
I treasure the times of clarity, and conversation. Time is draining out of the perpetual hourglass faster these days it seems. I wish I could plug it, keep my family close to me; to somehow cheat age and have things go back to "normal". 
"You have to take the good with the bad",  that is what I heard the whole time I grew up. As I get older, I understand a deeper meaning of that. Somehow I know this is true, as these things are all beyond my control, but I don't have to like it!