Love Cares

One Man’s Prayers and Reflections on Caring for a Loved One Alzheimer’s. Dementia. Such a diagnosis creates fear and apprehension in the hearts of families whose loved one has received it. What to do? Where to turn? Author Charles Towne had such fears and questions as he faced the long-term prospect of his wife’s illness. Through 20 years of caregiving, he found answers. In Love Cares he shares them with you. Through short vignettes, Towne details his journey. With honesty and humor, he draws you in as he navigates his challenging life, always relying on Papa God to carry him through the tough times. Are you or someone you love in the midst of the challenges of caregiving? As you read this book, author Towne wishes you “hope and the realization that your journey, like mine, is purpose driven and, though at times difficult, is likely the most rewarding journey you will ever embark upon.” Because love always cares. Charles Towne is an author and newspaper columnist whose life has been and continues to be anything but boring. For his 87th birthday, he celebrated by jumping out of a perfectly good airplane at 14,000 feet! Charles says that being the father of his four children definitely helped prepare him for directing a zoo in Iowa and operating a breeding facility for large cats in Michigan during the next chapter of his story. Yes, zoo director, breeder of big cats, and wildlife photographer specializing in bears . . . and then, the too-soon death of the mother of his children by a drunk driver. Another chapter. Eventually Charles met and married his present wife Nancy, the inspiration for this book. Nothing that had gone before could possibly have prepared him for the cascade of tests that were to come. That is what this book is about. Twenty-one years of caregiving can present some daunting challenges, many joyous moments, much laughter, a bunch of pain, and many, many victories.