I’ve been thinking about you. Here’s what I think:
Your care matters. Your care not only enhances quality of life but it creates quality within the experience. As your caree faces so many challenges, your presence gives solace during every difficult moment. You share a smile of love to give comfort while you both wait for your caree’s test results. You hold hands while you hear your caree’s diagnosis. You stand firm at the doctor’s office, emergency department and hospital room in your efforts to get the best care.
Your wisdom matters. You navigate so many trying situations in the family, with the health care system, in the workplace with calm, confident negotiation. Your wisdom maps the way.
Your day matters. The drudgery of our days and our tasks can feel so rote that we lose sight of their significance. We’re not just getting it done, we’re making an impact. Everything we do is meaningful for our families, our carees, our communities and our workplaces. As your caree’s needs increase, you hold your caree between earth and heaven. Wherever you provide care (your home, your caree’s home or the facility) becomes the sacred holding space for your caree.
You matter. You know how hard it is to do what you do. You know how much courage, resiliency, patience, grit, determination, humor, creativity and kindness you give every day. Because you give, you deserve to receive all that’s good for you. The world needs you.
Your opportunities matter. When opportunities arrive during caregiving, we may be tempted to say, “Not now. I just can’t.” We may worry that pursuing opportunities during a caregiving experience may feel like a disaster waiting to happen. Rather than dismiss, we can consider: How could we get help to pursue at least a part or portion or a piece of an opportunity? How can we tweak the timing of an opportunity? How could we modify the opportunity to work for us right now? Who can help us think through how the opportunity could work? When you hold the belief that an opportunity is a possibility, you keep a life during a life of caregiving.
Thank you for all you do.
What would you add to my list?
(Image by S. Hermann & F. Richter from Pixabay)