John and Corinne Moriarty

When I was in Rochester, NY earlier this month, I met John and Corinne while visiting my mother and aunt. They are no longer able to live by themselves and recently became residents at a very nice home.  


John was sitting across the table from me.  He looked like a banker on a break. He was reading the newspaper while my sister, Claudia, and I chatted with my mother and aunt.  


He caught my eye.  Leaning over to me, he said, "Something is not right here.  I don't know what it is, but something is wrong.  It is kind of like deja vu."  


One of the hardest, saddest part of aging can be the dementia with which many older people struggle.  A few minutes later, he said, "I'd like to talk with you when you have a chance.  Something is wrong here and I'd like to talk with you about it."  I told him I would, pretty certain he wouldn't recall our conversation.


My aunt said something about his wife Corinne, but my mother reminded her that sometimes couples are not together, that both may not need to be at the facility.  Now, both my mother and aunt have dementia, so conversations are not exactly linear, but this was the gist of it.


Well, a few minutes later, Corinne came rolling up in her wheel chair.  

When John saw her, his eyes lit up and they started an animated conversation.  It turns out that Corinne went to school with one of my uncles, and knows my mother and aunt.  

After a few minutes, it was time for lunch.  John took hold of Corinne's wheel chair and off they went to the dining room.


The next day, we had another chance to see them, and I am so glad we did.

This couple is #2 and 3  in my 100 strangers project. Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at www.100Strangers.com.

Love never dies.  Inspired speech will be over some day....understanding will reach its limit.  Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly.  And the best of these is love.  I Corinthians 13, The Message