Table of contents for May 2021 in Guideposts

Age is the greatest risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. In fact, 72 percent of the more than 6 million Americans who are living with the disease are age 75 and older. Age, however, is not the only risk factor. Although far less common, youngeronset Alzheimer’s is the term used to describe the disease for individuals diagnosed before age 65. The warning signs and symptoms associated with younger-onset Alzheimer’s are similar to Alzheimer’s, but the experience itself can be quite different. People diagnosed with younger-onset may have dependent children, be at the peak of their professional careers or even be caregivers themselves. Diagnosing younger-onset Alzheimer’s can be tricky. It is common for individuals suffering from early cognitive decline to attribute symptoms to stress. Doctors often discount symptoms due to the person’s…

Jocelynn James Edmonds’s (A Wretch Like Me? page 18) history of addiction and incarceration—during which she encountered Officer Terrell Potter, the man she would go on to donate a kidney to years later—inspired her to reach out to others going through similar struggles. “It’s hard for people to believe in those who are early in their recovery,” she says. That’s why Jocelynn launched The Place of Grace, a nonprofit, to help men and women recovering from addiction get into rehabilitation facilities and housing. Since 2013, she and her organization have helped more than 1,000 people. Jocelynn also has a ministry at the Franklin County Jail, the same facility where she herself was incarcerated in 2012. Before the Covid pandemic, she had visited the jail regularly for years. “I want to…

I picked up the phone and called my son. I simply had to know. “Carlos,” I said, “I want you to be honest with me. Why don’t you believe in God? Could you ever believe?” It was a very direct question. I am a very direct person. And for years I had been wondering and worrying about my son Carlos’s relationship with God. Carlos is 51. He is a father. He and Bridget, the mother of his son, Santiago, live across the country from me in Miami. (They have been together for a long time, but they do not believe marriage is necessary. That’s a whole separate issue I have learned not to discuss with them.) Carlos is not my only child, but his relationship with God has always been…

TANKS BE TO GOD Real men fix their own toilets. Especially when they don’t have money for a plumber. I set the replacement tank on the floor of the bathroom with a thump. It’s a simple job, I thought. Just disconnect the water supply, unscrew the bolts on the old tank with channel lock pliers and replace it with the new one. I didn’t need to hire a plumber. I could do it myself. I eyed my opponent—the toilet that wouldn’t stop running—tucked into the corner of the bathroom. There wasn’t much room for a fullgrown man to work, but I was determined. I dropped to my knees and wedged myself into the space between the toilet bowl and the wall. With my left cheek smooshed against cold porcelain and…