Snapshots of Dementia: The Great Alaskan Adventure, Part 1
(L-R) Mary Beth Chapman, Hardy Lee, Barbara Winkler, Tom, Marti, Steven Curtis Chapman Our family loves music. Not just because Tom worked as a professional musician and worship pastor before he was living with dementia, although that has a lot to do with it. We can all name songs that meant a lot to us at various points in our family’s life—many of them from the contemporary Christian genre. One of the artists who has had a great impact on our lives is Steven Curtis Chapman, who also happens to be the most-awarded Christian music artist of all time. Tom and I have laughed, cried, and sung along with his music for much of our marriage; he released his first album the year our first two daughters were born, and his “Cinderella” played at the daddy-daughter dance for a family wedding. Just as his songs have accompanied our lives, they also became the soundtrack for our trip. The second listed below, which also features SCC, is by his longtime friend Geoff Moore and is also a family favorite. Enjoy and excuse the hairstyles! ‘The Great Adventure’ Because I knew Tom and I would celebrate our fortieth anniversary this summer, when I saw a magazine ad last fall for a week-long “Great Alaskan Adventure” cruise with Stephen Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman and friends (including Geoff Moore), an idea sparked. Could we? “I’ve always wanted to go to Alaska!” Tom said when I showed him the ad. The fact that he remembered the idea and mentioned it several days in a row also spurred me onward. Had I seen the ad a month or two earlier, I might not have had the courage to do anything about it. But our son’s own great adventure in taking his dad to an Ohio State football game last fall, along with our four daughters’ enthusiastic approval of the idea, gave me the courage to plan the trip. Whale watching in Juneau, Alaska For one full week in July, we had the incredible gifts of a mini-Christian conference with teaching from Scotty Smith, founding pastor of Christ Church, Franklin, Tennessee, and music from SCC and family/friends; the amenities of a luxury cruise ship; and the raw beauty of Alaska—including whale watching, a narrow-gauge railway ride up the White Pass and Yukon Route from Skagway, and gorgeous views of the Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier—plus a guided bus tour of beautiful Victoria, British Columbia, complete with (for all my Canadian friends) a visit to Timmie’s! But wait. There’s more. ‘I’ve Got a Friend Like You’ We experienced many blessings during the trip, but the greatest came because of two sets of friends. One is a couple we’ve only known for a...
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