Thanks for You
We are grateful for all you do.
We are thankful for you. Here’s why:
You live in the truth about your caree’s prognosis, your fears and your challenges. Others avoid the truth because they fear it. Even when you feel the pull of fear, you choose to stay in the truth because the truth connects you to solutions and support. Without the truth, you get can’t what you really need and want.
You see how denial keeps others in the past, in what was rather than what is, which prolongs the pain of the situation. Your honesty about your reality gives us the courage to speak ours.
You show us your vulnerability during your difficult days which frees us to show ours.
You demonstrate compassion to your caree, to yourself and to others. Your compassion is a gift.
You keep a sense of humor which reminds us to laugh, especially during our life’s most difficult times.
You speak honestly about the difficulty of keeping a life during a life of caregiving, which can suck the life out of you. Yet, you keep trying. You can’t give up on yourself which inspires us to keep trying, too.
You give yourself grace, understanding that this season of caregiving makes self-care so difficult. You give yourself grace when you have days with Doritos and Snickers because you know tomorrow will give you another chance for fruits and vegetables. Your grace spreads to us, reminding us to be gracious with ourselves, too.
You weed your relationship garden regularly, keeping those who love and support you close. You release those who can be tone deaf, insensitive and selfish. You demonstrate how to let go without drama.
You get up every day to do what you can to make the day good for you, your caree and others. But a caregiving situation means that every day may not be good. On those days, you give yourself a few good moments. We see the importance of good moments through you.
You pursue just outcomes for yourself and for your caree. You also understand that outcomes sometimes are out of your control so you take comfort in knowing you did all you could. We appreciate the importance of your efforts which leads us to do what we can to create our own just outcomes.
Thanks to you for all you do.
What would you add to my list?
(Image by Myriams-Fotos from Pixabay.)
Resources
We bring awareness for the need to support and help family caregivers during these special days in November:
What’s it like to navigate The 17 Caregiving Systems? We’d love to know.
Join our advocacy campaign to raise money for financial support for family caregivers.
Tackle the Tasks is November 25. We encourage others to help around the house of the family caregiver or caree.
Give to a Family Caregiver on #GivingTuesday (November 28). We encourage individuals to give a tax-free gift to a family caregiver.
Our Certified Caregiving Advocate training is free in November. Join me for our one-hour training on November 29 at 1 p.m. ET (Noon CT, 11 a.m. PT).
The Caring Awards
Submit a nomination for a caregiving book, advocate and TikTok creator on or before November 13.
Thank you for this! I am new to caregiving. My partner of 11 years was diagnosed with transverse myelitis, hospitalized for 15 days, and then to inpatient therapy for 24 days. He is now home and in outpatient three times a week. He has regained the use of his arms and hands, but still needs a walker. He is also on a catheter and the pain in his legs cause him many sleepless nights. During all of this I lost my job, had a good friend killed in a car accident, and had to have breast surgery. I feel a bit stressed out at the moment!
My life changed in an instant and I am grieving our old life. Steve was very active, we traveled, went to live music, life was good. Just trying to figure it all out!
This is beautiful, Denise. My caregiving today is different now than it was when caring for my parents. Just as I learned then to take my carees and our situation each day and season as it came, I am using that to support my current situation and adapt.