Riege Shares Stories In Alzheimer's Book
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By David [email protected]
Since her mother's diagnosis, there have been good times and bad. Two of those incidents have been collected in the book "A Cup of Comfort for Families Touched by Alzheimer's: Inspirational Stories of Unconditional Love and Support."
Riege, of Wakarusa, will have three book signings in the area. She will be at The Gathering Place May 23 from 10 to 11:30 a.m.; Timbercrest Retirement Community, May 22 at 2 p.m.; and Reader's World, May 30 from 1 to 3 p.m.
"A Cup of Comfort for Families Touched by Alzheimer's" is one of a series of books touching on various topics, according to Riege in an interview Tuesday afternoon. Edited by Colleen Sell, the book series is published by Adams Media, Avon, Mass.
Riege said she first found out about the book being published through her mother's sister who was looking at where Riege might contribute her work. There were a couple of incidents that stood out to Riege regarding her mother, so she sent in three stories for the book. Two were chosen.
The first story is "The Card" on page 294.
Riege's mother was in an assisted living community. Riege was taking her mom and dad to the store so her mother could purchase birthday cards for Riege's two boys. While in the store, Riege said, that's when she realized how hard it was for her mother to do something as simple as pick up birthday cards.
After they got back in the car, Riege's mother realized Riege's birthday was in between her two boys' birthdays. She wanted to go back in and get a card for her daughter.
"A disease like this can make life complicated," Riege said.
However, the book emphasizes hope in its stories. Riege's mother not only picked out a birthday card for her and signed it, but it was a very special birthday card for Riege as well.
The other story Riege contributed is "With A Spring in Her Step" on page 45.
In that story, Riege's father is in a South Bend hospital. Her mother is insistent on visiting him there. Riege's brother agrees to take her. When her brother goes to pick their mother up at the assisted living apartment in Bremen, he finds her dressed to the nines. She goes to the hospital, fancy like Cinderella, with high-heel shoes that clink on the hospital flooring.
Riege said the family had not seen their mother dressed up in forever. But she was cognizant enough to know she wanted to dress up for her husband of 48 years.
Riege said putting the stories down on paper was very emotional, especially to tweak and tone them. She wanted, however, for readers to know who her mother is.
Riege's father died in February 2008. He would have been 80 in May 2008. Her mother, 74, is in a nursing home, her condition on the slide. While Riege's mother knows Riege has written a book, Riege has not read them to her because they would be hard for her to understand the meaning of the stories.
"It's been a very slow decline," Riege said. To some degree, she said, the family has learned to accept it.
"I wonder when she'll not know our kids. So far, she's always known me. But I know it's coming," Riege said.
She said people have responded well to the book and her stories.
"Very much a positive response from people who have sensed what I'm trying to share," Riege said.
Many people are interested in the book, she said, because of the topic. Many just want someone to talk to about Alzheimer's. Riege said she interacts with them a while regardless of whether or not they buy the book.[[In-content Ad]]"Some of these stories you hear can feel very exhausting," Riege said. "This book series tries to bring out the endearing qualities of moments you have with family and that's what's portrayed here."
Riege is in her eighth year as pastor of the Goshen City Church of the Brethren, Goshen. Born in Indiana, she spent her early married years in her husband's home state of Ohio, returning to northern Indiana in 2000.
She has been married to Mark Riege for 21 years and they have two teenage boys.
Throughout more than 20 years of pastoral responsibilities, she has written numerous monthly newsletter articles, contributed to the Elkhart Truth and Goshen News daily newspapers, been published in The Salvation Army newsletter and was published in Today's Christian Woman and Alive Now!
She is now a pastoral consultant for the Northern Indiana District of the Church of the Brethren, Nappanee.
The book can be purchased at Reader's World, Warsaw, for $9.95.
For more information on the book series, visit online at www.cupofcomfort.com
Riege's e-mail is [email protected]
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Since her mother's diagnosis, there have been good times and bad. Two of those incidents have been collected in the book "A Cup of Comfort for Families Touched by Alzheimer's: Inspirational Stories of Unconditional Love and Support."
Riege, of Wakarusa, will have three book signings in the area. She will be at The Gathering Place May 23 from 10 to 11:30 a.m.; Timbercrest Retirement Community, May 22 at 2 p.m.; and Reader's World, May 30 from 1 to 3 p.m.
"A Cup of Comfort for Families Touched by Alzheimer's" is one of a series of books touching on various topics, according to Riege in an interview Tuesday afternoon. Edited by Colleen Sell, the book series is published by Adams Media, Avon, Mass.
Riege said she first found out about the book being published through her mother's sister who was looking at where Riege might contribute her work. There were a couple of incidents that stood out to Riege regarding her mother, so she sent in three stories for the book. Two were chosen.
The first story is "The Card" on page 294.
Riege's mother was in an assisted living community. Riege was taking her mom and dad to the store so her mother could purchase birthday cards for Riege's two boys. While in the store, Riege said, that's when she realized how hard it was for her mother to do something as simple as pick up birthday cards.
After they got back in the car, Riege's mother realized Riege's birthday was in between her two boys' birthdays. She wanted to go back in and get a card for her daughter.
"A disease like this can make life complicated," Riege said.
However, the book emphasizes hope in its stories. Riege's mother not only picked out a birthday card for her and signed it, but it was a very special birthday card for Riege as well.
The other story Riege contributed is "With A Spring in Her Step" on page 45.
In that story, Riege's father is in a South Bend hospital. Her mother is insistent on visiting him there. Riege's brother agrees to take her. When her brother goes to pick their mother up at the assisted living apartment in Bremen, he finds her dressed to the nines. She goes to the hospital, fancy like Cinderella, with high-heel shoes that clink on the hospital flooring.
Riege said the family had not seen their mother dressed up in forever. But she was cognizant enough to know she wanted to dress up for her husband of 48 years.
Riege said putting the stories down on paper was very emotional, especially to tweak and tone them. She wanted, however, for readers to know who her mother is.
Riege's father died in February 2008. He would have been 80 in May 2008. Her mother, 74, is in a nursing home, her condition on the slide. While Riege's mother knows Riege has written a book, Riege has not read them to her because they would be hard for her to understand the meaning of the stories.
"It's been a very slow decline," Riege said. To some degree, she said, the family has learned to accept it.
"I wonder when she'll not know our kids. So far, she's always known me. But I know it's coming," Riege said.
She said people have responded well to the book and her stories.
"Very much a positive response from people who have sensed what I'm trying to share," Riege said.
Many people are interested in the book, she said, because of the topic. Many just want someone to talk to about Alzheimer's. Riege said she interacts with them a while regardless of whether or not they buy the book.[[In-content Ad]]"Some of these stories you hear can feel very exhausting," Riege said. "This book series tries to bring out the endearing qualities of moments you have with family and that's what's portrayed here."
Riege is in her eighth year as pastor of the Goshen City Church of the Brethren, Goshen. Born in Indiana, she spent her early married years in her husband's home state of Ohio, returning to northern Indiana in 2000.
She has been married to Mark Riege for 21 years and they have two teenage boys.
Throughout more than 20 years of pastoral responsibilities, she has written numerous monthly newsletter articles, contributed to the Elkhart Truth and Goshen News daily newspapers, been published in The Salvation Army newsletter and was published in Today's Christian Woman and Alive Now!
She is now a pastoral consultant for the Northern Indiana District of the Church of the Brethren, Nappanee.
The book can be purchased at Reader's World, Warsaw, for $9.95.
For more information on the book series, visit online at www.cupofcomfort.com
Riege's e-mail is [email protected]
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