Nancy was a wonderful elderly, unfortunately experiencing Alzheimer's disease. Her dementia makes her forgetful about current events, but she remembers the past in detail, especially her traumas in World World II. Her family members were killed in front of her eyes when she was a little girl.

Her story triggered colossal sadness in me and even brought some tears. Interestingly, according to her daughter, Nancy did not speak with other guests as she did with me. Not even one word.

However, Nancy hugged me even even kissed me on the cheek. She told me her childhood stories generously. Dr Lim was surprised with her mother's acceptance of me and wanted me to stay longer, hoping I might have triggered her mother's memories and help her feel better about her dementia as she couldn't accept it.

I extended my trip and stayed two more nights in their lovely home. Besides, Dr Lim gave brilliant ideas about my Big Data project, which I ran for a client in Canberra. It was a godsend for me, and they said the same thing about my visit. I am grateful for this serendipitous encounter.

In this post, I'd like to briefly share five valuable life lessons I learned from Nancy when listening to her childhood and adulthood stories.