Life comes at us fast, pulling us in different directions and making us make decisions in split seconds. I became a caregiver to my husband with no training other than having two kids under the age of 10. Read More
When Self Help Equals Survival
Members of the Club: “We are all in this together”
As a caregiver, we all become part of an exclusive club that we would rather not have the privilege of holding a membership card to. Although, we don’t choose to become a caregiver, we choose to remain a caregiver and to do the best we can each day. Some days… Read More
We All Need a Team Behind Us
Last fall my nephew asked me if I would like to run a 1/2 marathon with him this summer. I was elated he had asked. He would be graduating college (he did) and had several weddings, a cross country trip with his fellow grads and lots to do before starting… Read More
Bootstrap Time
Life can be tough without any challenges. It seems humans naturally find ways to see hardships and negatives and focus on what is wrong versus what is right. Or what is good. Or what is easy. We take our day to day lives and lose sight of joys in mundane… Read More
Treasure Box Troves
I recently was sorting through some storage totes we had tucked away years ago. In one of them, I found what I thought was long lost and what I had been searching for through many years: notebooks Jim had written to the kids when they were little and a letter… Read More
Lessons from Loss
People often comment how much more difficult it must have been to have gone through the process of caring for Jim and eventually losing him because we had young children at home. Although what they said was true on some levels, it wasn’t necessarily how I felt. I always sensed… Read More
Path of Learning
When Jim was first showing signs that something just wasn’t “right” with him, when he was driving me crazy and our marriage was feeling strained, when I knew deep inside that Jim was changing but I just couldn’t put my finger on exactly what was happening….when our life was the… Read More
Expectations Hinder Us All
A couple of years ago I wrote about expectations on my personal blog, Missing Jim. Lately, I have been trying to figure out who I am now that Jim is gone, and expectations keep running through my mind. As a caregiver, my expectations would cause me more stress than anything… Read More
Validity Can Be Freeing
In the midst of trying to make decisions not only for yourself, your family, but a loved one who can no longer think coherently, life seems to glide by in ways you never anticipated. The stresses, the worries, the grief and heartache of being helpless to stop their demise can… Read More
Save Yourself
After Jim passed away, I wanted to pull a Britney Spears and shave my head. I have never in my life wanted to shave all my hair off, but there was something that was pushing me to not necessarily go bald, but to be free of something and that something… Read More
