Struggles
Exchanging Love
Each time I go to the caregiver support group, I came away with a little more knowledge and a little more inspired. One of the women is taking care of her mother who has dementia and Parkinson’s. She is very committed to her mom and always talks about how much she means to her. Today […]
The Neighbors Return
We haven’t seen our neighbors for months. The couple purchased the condo next to us about a year ago and had some loose ends to tie up in their previous residence many states away. They were back and forth for a while and were supposed to move in to stay here a few months ago. […]
Familiar Faces
The other day my mom, sister, and I went to a Parkinson’s support group. This is the 2nd time we have gone. The speaker was a therapist that worked with my mom at the beginning of this year. I knew she was good, but I didn’t realize how dedicated she was to helping those with Parkinson’s. […]
Parkinson’s Caregivers
A couple weeks ago, my sister and I went with my mom to a Parkinson’s support group. We all learned so much. At the meeting, a woman who heads the Parkinson’s caregiver group invited me to attend their next session. I was glad to be able to go to the group today. As with the […]
Back For Dinner
I have been volunteering with an organization that works with youth in foster care. Each month the youth and adult volunteers meet at a local church and use the big kitchen to cook a meal together. We have been hosting different groups of people who have enjoyed the dinners. There is one young man in particular that […]
No Explanation
Today I heard from a friend whose husband had open heart surgery. Even though they did everything that they were told to do to avoid such a thing, he now has an infection in the wound. She pondered this and shared her thoughts. She likened this particular instance to life in general. How often do […]
Caregivers Group
Last week I connected with a man who works for an agency involved with elder care. I found that he helps support caregivers, so I met with him at his suggestion to see what kind of things are available. He gave me a lot of information about different classes and groups and assistance such as […]
Rain Poncho
The other day I was happy to get a call from one of the neighbor ladies asking if I wanted to go for a walk with her and her friend. I met them in the park today and despite the thunder and threatening clouds, we started on our way. They didn’t know the details of […]
Too Long in the Hospital
To be honest, it has been an incredibly stressful week. My mom has been in the hospital for 8 days now going on 9. She was admitted for dangerously low sodium and has been struggling. She is very weak and doesn’t have an appetite. While there are moments of clarity, her responses are typically slow […]
Woman Support
Today I was so happy to meet with some women from my prayer group. We all have our struggles and part of the beauty of being with them is that we can all be open and honest with what is on our hearts. Then, instead of judging one another or giving advice, we simply listen […]