Eating Out and Mangled History

Mom and Dad have eaten out one day a week since she went back to work full time in 1967. It's almost the eleventh Commandment to them. When they moved to our town nine years ago, they included my family in the weekly ritual. The night has varied some, but most of the time we eat out on Thursday. Tonight when I told Dad it was time to go, he observed, "We go out to eat. All of us go out to eat. It's true of us." He has been so sedentary that his muscles have atrophied. When he was struggling to get out of his chair he commented, "If I can't stand up, I can't go out to eat."

Alzheimer’s has given Dad the mind of a steel trap. Everything comes out mangled. He remembers bits and pieces of history and makes up the rest. One of his favorite topics is the creation of Isreal as a Jewish homeland in 1948. He calls the country Palestine--consistently pronouncing it Pal es TEEN. I've never figured out why the Jews would want to make their homeland in a small East Texas town.

His pronouncements:

"The Jews have all emigrated to Palestine. There are only a few old Jews left in the United States."

"Palestine is now a Jewish state. They kicked all the Mohammedans out."

"Jews believe in the Old Testament, not the New Testament. Jews are not Christians because they never accepted Christ."

"The British used to control Palestine, but so many Jews came that the British left."

"There used to be quite a few Jews in America, but most of the young ones have moved to Palestine. When the old ones that are left die off, there won't be any Jews in America."

This went on for at least half an hour. This is a common theme. Sometimes he is a Jewish settler in PalesTEEN, but last night he was a third party observer. Over and over and over and over--this and more like it. You have to have a sense of humor or you'll go crazy.