DEAR ABBY: I'd like to alert your readers to something that happened to me so it may keep it from happening to them. In her later years, my dear mother was afflicted with dementia. When it became clear she could no longer live alone, I went to live with her.
One day, I went looking for the albums of photos from when my brothers and I were kids, family vacations, etc. After searching high and low and not finding them, I asked Mom what had happened to them. Turns out, she threw them out because she didn't remember any of the people in the pictures! To say I was devastated would be an understatement.
I couldn't be angry with Mom. It wasn't her fault. But Abby, your readers need to know that it can happen to them. My mother has been gone for 10 years, and I still wish I had those photos. -- MISSING MEMORIES IN MASSACHUSETTS
DEAR MISSING: I'm glad you wrote. Your letter is a reminder that when family members begin to age, it's important to make the time to sit down with them and go through family pictures. My own dear mother urged her readers to not only review those photos, but also to write on the backs the date they were taken and the names of who is in them. This is a precious gift because memories do start to fade. It can stimulate wonderful conversations if people are willing to make the effort.