The Joy of Caring

Reflections of a Daughter of the Silent Generation and Mother of Generation Y

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A Mom’s Love, unlimited

May 11, 2025

Three decades ago, pregnant and new to Wisconsin, I injured my back. My spouse away, I was grateful for the friends who broke into our house to take care of our toddler and call for an ambulance.

The very next day, Mom flew in from Maine to take care of things while I got back on my feet (literally), and then break me out of the hospital, driving me home in the way back of the minivan to a first floor hospital bed she had procured.

That was Mom’s love: she showed up at the drop of a hat, wherever, whenever, and got the job done.

A year ago, record-breaking weather hit the home in Maine where we’d cared for Mom during her last stretch, in a first floor hospital bed we had procured. I wrote about that journey in Living Is for Living — Mom’s words when I asked for her two cents when Alzheimer’s disease made her health care tricky.

The historic storms and hefty clean-up were a wake-up call. Until then, my spouse and I had assigned what’s next? to the future. Suddenly, it was crystal clear it was time for us to consider our next steps.

In the midst of this, I flew to Wisconsin to be a good grandma and dog sit, a welcome distraction from wild weather stress. Waiting for the plane to de-ice on my homeward trek, I reflected on my attachment to the house we’d so lovingly renovated, which had brought me back to Maine after twenty-five years away. I loved our last chapter living there, with Mom, my husband, our adult kids, friends and pets. It was hard to fathom leaving it, even though Mom and several of the pets had passed on, and the kids had since fanned out far away.

With a heavy heart, I googled “how to let go of a house when you are emotionally attached.” There were lots of good ideas I’d try in the coming year, and I realized it was possible to love a home and its story the way I did and still move on. I just needed to trust that the next chapter could be awesome too.

Just then I looked up to spot, two seats ahead, a baseball cap that read October 15, 1997.

While 1997 didn’t strike a chord, October 15 did. That’s the day Mom had died, in our beloved seaside home, me and the animals at her side.

All of a sudden, I knew without doubt, that Mom was with me, and that she’d continue to be with me, wherever I am and wherever I go.

I don’t need a certain house to keep her close.

That is Mom’s love: it isn’t limited to time or place, it’s with me wherever I am, wherever I go.

Mom’s “Living Is for Living” is all I need to keep her near. This reminder’s helped me through challenges I’ve encountered since, wrapping up the last chapter and turning toward the next, this one yet to be written.

Here’s to a Mom’s love, unlimited — Happy Mother’s Day!

Accepting help, Letting go, Looking forward, Maintaining balance, Making peace, Navigating Concerns, Practicing faith, Taking care of self Alzheimer's Disease, Caregiving, Gratitude, Keep it simple, Life after death, Marriage, One day at a time terry@thejoyofcaring.com 4 Comments

Newest Release…

January 11, 2024

Sharing this book reminds me of opening Sunshine’s crate.

Rather than dashing to the sea, Sunshine peered out, cautiously. When her crate was gently disassembled and she was eased onto the sand, she made her way slowly down the beach, guided by her Marine Mammals of Maine (MMoME) caregivers who shielded her view of the spectators gathered to cheer for her and poolmate Dexxy. When Sunshine made it to the bay, she paused in the shallows while she acclimated to the chilly water, lapping waves, glistening sun. Then she submerged, and off she went. 

I can relate to Sunshine’s apparent reluctance, as I release this book I wrote and illustrated about her recovery, from collection to rehabilitation to release. I also received great care along the way and down the homestretch – from my childhood friends Nancy (who illustrated the front cover), Biz (who took photos of the release) and Margie (who cheered my every step), to my editor, Genie Dailey (Fine Points Editorial Services), and my creative coach, Lindy Gifford (www.manifestidentity.com), to the folks at MMoME (who gave the book their thumbs up).

Wanting to get the story and its details right, I too have taken my sweet time before taking the plunge. And just like the time came for Sunshine to swim free, the time has come to set her story free. So here it is, available online and by request at your local book shop. I hope you enjoy!

Accepting help, Finding time, Gathering Info, Having fun, Helping others, Learning as we go, Letting go, Maintaining balance, Navigating Concerns, Practicing faith Friendship, Gratitude, Keep it simple, One day at a time, Travels of a Gray Seal Pup terry@thejoyofcaring.com Leave a Comment

The Wrap: Douglas the Rabbit’s Winter Holiday Surprise

October 2, 2023

“Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face.”—Victor Hugo (1802-1885), author of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Les Miserables

Across traditions, winter holidays are observed with decorations, foods, gifts, lights, rituals, and visits with family and friends. They celebrate hope and joy, even amidst hardship. In that spirit, I’m excited to offer:

In this last book of the series, Douglas invites the other animals to a gathering that captures the friendships they share. It’s a reminder of the importance of making time for what matters most: Connection to others and the world we share.

This one’s a shout-out to my spouse, Doug, and our children—Siena, Matt, and Garrett—with whom we witness the humor and beauty around us, with special thanks to the sightings that inspired the illustrations: Canadian geese skidding to a stop across fresh ice, paper snowflakes created by the kids from coffee filters, shooting stars streaking across the night sky.

I share this story today, on what would have been Dad’s 90th birthday, in gratitude for all the ways he made us laugh, including his story-telling, and for encouraging me to tell stories, too.

“Peace and quiet,” he’d say, a twinkle in his eye, when I’d ask him what he wanted for his birthday.

When I ask myself that question, as I approach my sixtieth, what I want is the gift of kindness.

So, in wrapping the Douglas the Rabbit Adventure Series, it makes sense that, even without doing so intentionally, this final story celebrates these three gifts: peace, quiet, and kindness.

I hope you enjoy!

Accepting help, Finding time, Having fun, Laughing out loud, Learning as we go, Letting go, Maintaining balance, Making peace, Navigating Concerns, Practicing faith, Sacred Practices, Taking care of self, Uncategorized Celebrating joy, Friendship, Gratitude, Keep it simple, Life after death, Natural beauty, Parenting terry@thejoyofcaring.com Leave a Comment

Seeing What Is Right in front of Us

September 12, 2023

We find ourselves by looking out at what looks back…

—Poet David Whyte in Lon’s Fort (Many Rivers Press, 2012)


As we celebrate the resurrection of the retaining wall out front,

meant to keep the dogs in and the water out, I take my daily walk.

Everywhere I look, I see walls…rock, metal, brick, vinyl, cement.

Some crumbling, some reinforced. Some peeling, some painted fresh. 

Some leaning, some erect. Some clean and bare, some covered in growth.

Some walls are ornamental, some utilitarian. Some provide privacy, some protect. 

Some are new; some are old…boundaries then, gardens now. 

Some have spikes delivering a clear STAY OUT, some offer a deliberate way in.

Nothing says WELCOME like an open gate.

Together, the walls I see around me remind me of the the walls I’ve built inside me:

WHO were my walls meant to keep in and out? 

WHAT do they look like from the other side? 

WHEN did I build them and do they still serve? 

WHERE do I let others through?

WHY do I keep my walls in place? 

HOW can I reinforce them? HOW can I tear them down?

In the midst of all this, I see a wall doubling as a lost and found,

a pair of pink plastic sunglasses resting on top.

I wonder who left them and what adventure they were on.

I remember when our kids were young, the way walls inspired climbing, balancing, jumping…

simpler times for sure.

And so I walk on, a smile on my face, grateful that finding the answers isn’t always necessary,

that sometimes just seeing the questions is enough.

Learning as we go, Maintaining balance, Making peace, Navigating Concerns, Practicing faith, Self-Reflection Gratitude, Keep it simple, One day at a time, Parenting terry@thejoyofcaring.com 2 Comments

A Giant Lesson in Mindfulness

September 3, 2023

While friends welcome grandkids, we welcome grandpets. The spirited beagle and her three-legged feline sidekick have moved south, so this post is dedicated to Tula who turns three today.

A novice when it came to caring for giant breeds, I needed help coaching Tula’s Great Pyrenees instinct to scare off intruders like the pizza guy and UPS.

“If we consider a dog’s reactivity on a scale of zero to ten, the sooner we offer distraction from stressors, the more effective the intervention will be,” said Starla, the dog trainer, on day one. In other words, if we redirect Tula when she’s at level two arousal, we’re going to be a lot more successful than waiting ‘til she’s at seven, when gentle snowflake has become howling blizzard.

Sent home with the assignment to practice sit and heel and redirect attention at the first sign of reactivity, we set to work. Empowered with the tools of awareness and consistency, I was eager to take Tula on neighborhood strolls that were more intentional, less intense.

To this day, a year later, walks with Tula remind me of how I respond to my own rising stress: to her puffs I compare my held breath, to her stiff posture my clenched jaw, to her upright tail my hunched shoulders, to her low growls my deep sighs. So focused on what’s going on around me, I sometimes miss what’s happening inside me. It can take a cold sore on my face to remind me to shift focus. Like Tula, I benefit from noticing the initial signals so that I can redirect my energy before the stress boils over in unnecessary, ineffective, and even self-destructive ways.

In the midst of that first training session, I’d been incorporating mindfulness into my work.

“Mindfulness training involves the practice of bringing one’s attention to the present moment, to what we are doing and what we are feeling, without judgement…via simple exercises of breathing, body scanning, gratitude, and kindness towards oneself and others. The emerging data are promising, showing that children who participate in mindfulness programs show less anxiety, greater concentration and memory skills, and handle difficult emotions better.”—Johanna Calderon, PhD, Harvard Medical School, “Executive function in children: Why it matters and how to help,” (December 16, 2020). 

As academic coach, noting the signs of a student’s stress and offering useful coping strategies are key; helping students to recognize the signs and use the strategies on their own, like the dog trainer did for me, can be life-changing. This means slowing the learning process down: checking in to see what’s up, naming the place the student may be getting stuck, stepping outside (literally and figuratively) for a breath of fresh air, offering company and encouragement, and doing my best to bring lightness and fun while also keeping it real, each step of the way (for a great coping strategy, see Dr. Kristin Neff’s Self-Compassion Break).

Recently, while getting to know a new student, I recognized once again the importance of learning how stress shows itself in others, so that we can offer support in a way that is timely. I don’t mean to suggest that mindfulness is easy. If my walks with Tula teach me anything, it’s that this is not a short-term fix, but a lifetime practice…one that ebbs and flows, and when committed to, can change everything.

There’s no question that Tula has good reason to react the way she does, to internal and external cues. We all do. The question is whether our reactions diminish or improve our quality of life. It helps to have others in our lives who gently and consistently remind us to take care of ourselves, so that we stay on the path and even enjoy the view.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TULA!

Learning as we go, Navigating Concerns, Sacred Practices, Self-Reflection, Taking care of self, Tutoring daily practice, executive function skills, Friendship, mindfulness, Pet Therapy, tutoring terry@thejoyofcaring.com 1 Comment

I am Acadia Manset's granddaughter. Raised in Maine, graduated from Dartmouth College and Harvard Law, I have spent the last 24 years parenting. With our adult kids in the process of leaving the nest, my mom has moved in, leading to precious time and daily opportunities I never anticipated. I hope that this site will inspire insight and growth, humor and fun, questions and answers, for you and for me.

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Top Posts & Pages

  • How can it be? Glory Be!
  • A Mom's Love, unlimited
  • Newest Release...
  • Upcoming Book Release: A Seal Named Sunshine
  • The Wrap: Douglas the Rabbit's Winter Holiday Surprise
  • Seeing What Is Right in front of Us
  • A Giant Lesson in Mindfulness
  • 1, 2, 3...ready or not, here we come: Douglas the Rabbit's Fall Field Trip
  • Up next, just in time for Mom's birthday: Douglas the Rabbit Makes Some Friends
  • Introducing my next adventure: The Original Douglas the Rabbit Story

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Raised in Maine, I had spent the prior 24 years parenting, mostly in Wisconsin. With our adult kids in the process of leaving the nest, my mom moved in, from Maine, leading to precious time and daily opportunities I had never anticipated. I launched this site in 2017 as a way to share that experience, hoping to pass along what I was learning about Alzheimer's disease, to process the challenging parts, and to have some fun too. I never anticipated the way the community of readers would fuel me in staying the course. Today, I am deeply grateful for that, and so much more.

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