The Joy of Caring

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

Categories

Tags

#ENDALZ #gotitfrommymama Acting as if Alzheimer's Disease Believe Caregiver burden Caregiving COVID-19 Deep Vein Thrombosis Dementia Diverticulitis Eldercare Friendship Fun Gratitude Grief Health concerns Health first Hospice Care Hospitalization Infection In the Moment Keep it simple Life after death Losing a loved one Marriage Memory Loss Millennials One day at a time Parenting Pets Pet Therapy Pivoting Prednisone side effects Reframing Siblings Step 3 Step 4 Step 9 Step 11 Step 12 The Twelve Steps The Twelve Steps of AA Time Working outside the home

  • Reading List
  • Contact Me

COVID-19 Staying at Home – finding guidance in parental wisdom during this time of pandemic stress

April 1, 2020

Tamridge, Mom and Dad, circa 1980

There were moments, when nothing seemed as it was and everything seemed newly tenuous. Dad’s “we shall see” and “bottom line” and Mom’s “living is for living” and “aren’t we lucky” reminded me to be patient, to simplify, to let go of fear, and to count our blessings.

—excerpt from Living Is for Living: A Caregiver’s Story

Accepting help, Gathering Info, Helping others, Learning as we go, Letting go, Listening first, Maintaining balance, Making peace, Practicing faith, Speaking up, Taking care of self Alzheimer's Disease, Caregiving, Corona Virus 2019, COVID-19, Eldercare, Gratitude, In the Moment, Infection, Keep it simple, Life after death, One day at a time terry@thejoyofcaring.com 14 Comments

Speaking of pep in her step – Cinnamon’s getting hers back too!

February 14, 2020

I worried when Mom died, we might lose Cinnamon too. Then, somewhere along the way, she reset her sights. It was as if the love we’d given her as a puppy, she gave to Mom during their life together, and all the love Mom gave her during that time, Cinnamon was passing on to us now.

—excerpt from Living Is for Living: A Caregiver’s Story

Accepting help, Having fun, Helping others, Learning as we go, Letting go, Listening first, Maintaining balance, Making peace, Practicing faith, Taking care of self Alzheimer's Disease, Canine Caregiver, Caregiving, Dementia, Eldercare, In the Moment, Life after death, Pet Therapy, Pets terry@thejoyofcaring.com Leave a Comment

RIP little bunny – processing grief in Alzheimer’s and elsewhere, and finding meaning to help us through

May 4, 2019

When I discovered our eleven-year-old bunny rabbit sprawled out in her cage, I was hit with disbelief. Even when death is expected, peaceful, and quick, it can be hard to accept. I’m grateful for my spouse and neighbor Mandy who helped me through.

—excerpt from Living Is for Living: A Caregiver’s Story

Accepting help, Laughing out loud, Learning as we go, Letting go, Maintaining balance, Making peace, Practicing faith, Taking care of self Alzheimer's Disease, Caregiving, Friendship, Gratitude, In the Moment, Keep it simple, Life after death, Losing a loved one, Marriage, One day at a time terry@thejoyofcaring.com 6 Comments

Sandwiched – caring for Mom, while caring for kids

February 18, 2018

2004                             2018

There’s plenty of literature out there about the challenge of being part of the “Sandwich Generation.” I too have sleepless nights worrying about Mom, as well as the kids. At the same time, I gotta admit, it’s pretty cool.

—excerpt from Living Is for Living: A Caregiver’s Story

Maintaining balance #ENDALZ, Alzheimer's Disease, Caregiving, Generation X, Gratitude, Health first, In the Moment, Keep it simple, Millennials, One day at a time, Parenting terry@thejoyofcaring.com 2 Comments

HALT and let in the love

January 17, 2018

IMG_0825

I learned long ago, in Al-Anon, that when we feel irritable or unreasonable, we need to “HALT” – it may be that we are Hungry, Angry, Lonely and/or Tired. Sometimes HALTing means putting our own feet up, sometimes it means taking a moment to learn from others who are doing just that.

—excerpt from Living Is for Living: A Caregiver’s Story

Gathering Info, Helping others, Learning as we go, Taking care of self #ENDALZ, Addiction, Alzheimer's Disease, Anxiety, Caregiving, Depression, Friendship, Gratitude, In the Moment, Keep it simple, Marriage, Parenting, Prayer terry@thejoyofcaring.com

Happy New Year!

January 1, 2018

IMG_0368-1
Reflections, December 2017

In Barbara Cooney’s Ms. Rumphius, a young girl tells her elderly aunt, “When I grow up, I too will go to faraway places, and when I grow old, I too will live beside the sea” to which her aunt responds, “There is a third thing you must do. You must do something to make the world more beautiful.”

—excerpt from Living Is for Living: A Caregiver’s Story

Speaking up #ENDALZ, Acting as if, Alzheimer's Disease, Caregiving, Friendship, Gratitude, Health first, In the Moment, Keep it simple, Losing a loved one, Marriage, One day at a time, Parenting terry@thejoyofcaring.com 8 Comments

For Today, a fresh start

November 2, 2017

575DDB3C-61D6-4713-9D5F-E056704130BB.jpeg
Mom’s response to learning she was a Great Grandma

In celebration, I recommit to these goals set in March 2016, shortly after Mom moved in with us:

For Today:

Serenity

Courage

Wisdom

Speak quietly

Speak truth

Live and let live

Let go and let Love

❤️

Forgive

Embrace

Celebrate

—from Living Is for Living: A Caregiver’s Story

Looking forward #ENDALZ, Eldercare, Gratitude, In the Moment, Newborns terry@thejoyofcaring.com Leave a Comment

Nine Squares

September 21, 2017

FullSizeRender-10
Whole Life Grid a la Susan Jeffers, PhD, Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway

According to the sign out front of a local church, “THERE IS A TIME FOR EVERYTHING.  BE SURE TO MAKE TIME FOR GOD.” My middle square – “Spirituality and Faith” was a great place to start!

—excerpt from Living Is for Living: A Caregiver’s Story

Finding time, Taking care of self #ENDALZ, Acting as if, Alzheimer's Disease, Caregiving, Friendship, Health first, In the Moment, Marriage, Parenting, Pets, Step 9 terry@thejoyofcaring.com Leave a Comment

What Next? (dropping our youngest off at college)

August 28, 2017

Earnest 18-year-old you with me in your heart, asks me straight up “What next?”

You don’t want me to miss out on my life making sure that she doesn’t miss out on hers.

“I’m not sure,” I admit – I tell you the truth, cuz I value your two cents, and you’d see through anything else.

“I’m taking it a day at a time, trying to draw out this phase, trusting I’ll know when it’s time for a change.

Seriously, how lucky am I, that in the midst of your world, you see me sitting here, and give me just what I need.

Although I’m still not sure what is next, I promise to take care of me the best I can, in the mix.

All I ask is you do the same…What’s next for you?

Great things, I have no doubt – and I will cheer your every step.

—excerpt from Living Is for Living: A Caregiver’s Story

Taking care of self #ENDALZ, Alzheimer's Disease, Caregiving, Dementia, Eldercare, Empty Nest, Gratitude, In the Moment, Millennials, One day at a time, Parenting, Pivoting terry@thejoyofcaring.com Leave a Comment

Time to Be Three

June 8, 2017

Our ten-year-old, done with elementary school and on his way to middle school, sat at the kitchen counter one early summer morning,

“You know what I don’t get?” he said to me.

“They start preparing us to be big when we’re only three.

We go to pre-school to get ready for kindergarten,

To kindergarten to get ready for first grade,

To first grade to get ready for second,

Second to get ready for third,

Third to get ready for fourth,

Fourth to ready for fifth,

And fifth for sixth.

Now there’s sixth for seventh,

Seventh for eighth,

 then eighth for ninth,

ninth for high school,

high school for college, and

college for your job.”

Our ten-year-old son, with the big blue eyes,

looked at me with clarity and asked,

“When does a three-year-old get to be three?”

—from Living Is for Living: A Caregiver’s Story

Having fun Gratitude, In the Moment, Millennials, Parenting terry@thejoyofcaring.com 2 Comments

  • 1
  • 2
  • Next Page »

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.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 57 other subscribers

Top Posts & Pages

  • 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
  • Living Is for Living: A Caregiver's Story is launched!

Archives

  • May 2025
  • January 2024
  • November 2023
  • October 2023
  • September 2023
  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2021
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • July 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • August 2018
  • April 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017

Pages

  • Reading List
  • Contact Me

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.

Spam Blocked

1,486 spam blocked by Akismet

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 57 other subscribers

© 2025 ·Journey · by WPStud.io