Anthony: “How’s my boy?”
Me: He likes to talk things through.
Anthony: Sounds like someone else I know.
Me: I told him once that I wished he were more like you than me.
Anthony: How so?
Me: Less intense, more lackadaisical.
Anthony: But he’s a larrikin after my own heart.
Me: More like a larrikin with a complicated heart. Anyway guess what he said?
Anthony: Was it as profound as my many utterances?
Me: Definitely. He said, “Mum, I adore everything about me that is like you.”
Anthony: Not bad, but what about my genes?
Me: I have encouraged him to cultivate those but he obviously likes being intensely, philosophically, introspectively himself.
Anthony: But what about…?
Me: Don’t worry, he is also extremely loud, boisterous, fun-loving, easy-going and straight-from-the-shoulder honest.
Anthony: I keep thinking he is still a little boy.
Me: You used to see hallucinations of him as a little boy in your nursing home room all the time so, when this great big hulk of a man visited, you couldn’t quite compute that it was Ming.
Anthony: I was in awe.
Me: I’ll tell him that.
Anthony: Tell him I love him from beyond the grave and that I now have super powers.
Me: Ants, he’s not 10!
Anthony: Jules, I was just trying to make you laugh!
Me: Oh, sorry, yes and you’ve just reminded me of what made our unlikely union work so well – the laughter, so much of it. I wish now that I could bundle it all up – all of that laughter – and give it away, or back to us somehow, like a gift.
Anthony: You can, Jules. You can do anything you want to do with intangibles – emotions, thoughts, words, memories, hopes, dreams, even sorrows….
Me: Are you talking about quantum physics here, Ants? I hope not, because I am in Ming’s psychology course mode at the moment.
Anthony: And…?
Me: Well he has this rather new idea that kindness is better than knowledge when it relates to power.
Anthony: Would you like me to ask God? (There are a few of them here.)
Me: That would be great – thanks, Ants!
Anthony: About Ming.
Me: Yes?
Anthony: He will figure everything out himself so there is no need for us to worry about him. Ever.
jmgoyder 
I love Ants saying..Would you like me to ask God. There a few of them here. Absolutely loved that. You are so special Julie. A person after my own heart.
Thanks so much Jean xxx
Hi Jules,
I have been following your blog ever since my father was diagnosed with Parkinsonism in 2012. Dad was the victim of a car vs pedestrian car accident in 2012 and they suspected some aspects of Parkinsonism while he was in rehab suffering from a very significant ABI. He is now in a nursing home due to his injury. Even though my mum, sister and brother are all nurses, reading about the story of your family gave me soo much recognition, familiarity and encouragement. Just seeing that someone else shared the same feelings of love, loss & loneliness that I felt made it so much more bearable. So much of what you have written has resounded with me. When you wrote about Anthony passing away both me and my sister cried. I don’t think I’ve done that before for someone I’ve never met.
Yours and Anthony’s love story is honestly the stuff of movies. Please keep writing for your followers and please write your book about Dementia. I think that you can be such a sense of hope for people like me who were struggling to find my way out of a sea of hopelessness and despair. I have all since learned to make peace with the fact that Dad is in care vs my overwhelming desire to have him at home.
I just wanted to say thank you for sharing your family’s story with others. And I wanted you to know that your writing does make a difference for someone that you have never even met and who would probably never even know about you except for the fact that she started googling “Parkinsonism” in a stream of tears 4 years ago. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Much love & respect,
Prem Thevar
Thank you so much, Prem, for this amazing message! You have definitely made my day. I wish you all much love and strength xxx
I love these so…
Thank you for sharing your words and your work with the world.
G.
I so appreciate your message – thank you!
Lovely to see your two boys together.
Dear Julie,
Regarding Premala’s comment and your answer to her, all I can say is, “I knew this was a really good idea when you started bogging about your experiences with Anthony’s Parkinsons.” I’s so glad that you are able to help those in your similar situation. Keep it up! ❤
Love you,
Lynda
Oh Lynda – thank you so much!