His Favorite Books are Home Made

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Mom and Dad would be celebrating their 50th Anniversary soon.  We had a big celebration for their 45th when Mom was better able to appreciate the event.  I still wanted to make this special for them.  I sent emails and made calls to family and friends to request that they send cards, letter and pictures to me in celebration.  I got a wonderful response!

With a fancy notebook and tons of sheet protectors I created an Anniversary book.  I included notes to explain who had sent the pictures and full names and addresses for all of the cards.  I wanted to assure that it contained all of the information someone with memory problems could enjoy.  Mom spent many happy hours with this book.

Years later when Dad was about to turn 80, I decided to do the same thing.  Again, I got a wonderful  response resulting in another special book.

These are now Dad’s favorite books.  He can spend hours reading them.  Frequently he finishes one and immediately flips back to the beginning to start over.

Recently we have been adding to the 80th Birthday book.  Recent pictures of family members and close friends with their names are included. Post cards from a granddaughter have been added. Fun old pictures with friends are also a hit.  Anything I come across that I think he will enjoy may end up in the book.  The names and pictures help him remember the people who are important to him and bring back fun memories.

He really enjoys them.  It seems that they are calming when he is confused or frustrated and I love the chance to celebrate Dad’s life with him.