What can I say about my wife Norma? After almost 70 years of marriage, three children, three grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren, we have many stories to share. We started our life together in Saskatchewan. Norma grew up in a large family on a farm. She often spoke of skiing behind the horses in winter and she chuckled when her brother, Harold, lightheartedly complained that he’d always had to ride and never got to ski. It was a happy childhood filled with family, hard work and fun.

Norma and I met when we were young, and we built a good life together. I was a teacher and then a school administrator. Norma loved to sew, crochet, knit, and after running a fabric store in Humboldt with her sister, her love for small children took her to managing a daycare. She worked as an early childhood educator for many years.

Our retirement started out with us golfing, playing shuffleboard, time with loved ones, and spending a glorious twenty winters in Yuma, Arizona. Like most people, probably just like you, we had planned for that to continue.

There had been signs of Alzheimer’s for a few years. Our children noticed, but we adjusted and made it work. The year before Norma moved into The Views was the most difficult. She was anxious, confused and she couldn’t be left alone. She was up throughout the night and needed professional 24-hour care. I wanted the best for Norma, and I realized that meant her home would be in long-term care.

At first, Norma went into private care in another town. It was a long way from home, from her family, from her doctors, and it was expensive. When Norma moved into the Oceanview floor at The Views nine months later, it was wonderful to have her living near me in Comox.

She gets the care and help she needs, close to home, surrounded by the beautiful mountain and sea vistas she loves. We have more time together. We walk on sunny days and on rainy days we can enjoy the indoor garden and window seating. She gets to dance and sing, as she always loves to do, and she scoots the staff out of the communal kitchen so she can tidy.

Our daughter Glenna lives in Comox with her family and she visits her mom throughout each week. Sometimes on a visit, Glenna stands back and observes from a distance because Norma is so happy and involved in her music or dancing that she doesn’t want to interrupt. At the Views, Norma can watch and hear the children playing through her window at the on-site daycare and it brings her such joy.