A tribute to my Mom

My dear mother is as sweet as she ever was and, yet, she is unaware of most of her life -- due to the demons of dementia. 
As I look at Mom, I am flooded with many emotions, some I can't begin to explain, and many questions. Where is my mother? How can she be sitting there and not remember most of the people and events of her 86 years? Who took her memory? What did she eat, or do, or expose herself to throughout her life, that caused this to happen? 
God's Word says we see through a glass darkly, now, and will THEN see clearly but, I really want to know now and I want to know why. How could this happen to someone who is a true example of a servant of Christ? She lived her entire life to support, encourage, and nourish other people. She read her Bible and prayed daily. She humbly taught Sunday School. She never said an angry word to anyone. She listened and never criticized. She only offered advice when asked for it. She was forever taking soup or casseroles to sick folks or buying a present for anyone's new baby (though Mom and Dad were always on a tight budget). She once told me, when I questioned her about how she felt after being confined to the house for a month with an illness, that she was perfectly content to be with Dad in her home.
I recently heard a sermon on the Beatitudes and one part, in particular, struck me, "Blessed are the meek." As the preacher spoke, my mother's face came to mind. The synonyms and phrases for meekness all describe my mother: gentleness, humility, not seeking credit from people, inner strength, never criticizing, even when criticized. The pastor further clarified this picture of Mom, "Meekness is an unconscious anointing of God." 
As long as I live, I will not make sense of this illness and why it happened to her. The only good thing I can fathom is the way in which she continues to touch the lives of people, those who attend her in the skilled nursing center, those old friends who visit, and me. I would love to be more like her and, in being more like her,  be more like Jesus. I love you, Mom.