Reflections of a Daughter of the Silent Generation and Mother of Generation Y
That Father’s Day, sixteen years since Dad died, I heard him heckle when I missed foul shots, laugh when I threw elbows, and cheer when I backed someone down. When I worried about missed opportunities, I recalled his “don’t worry about what’s over and done.” And, when I noticed the 85+-year-old men playing on a neighboring court, I imagined Dad and his killer hook shot in their midst. Too bad I didn’t get that gene!
—excerpt from Living Is for Living: A Caregiver’s Story
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
Why bother having kids if friendship isn’t the ultimate goal? That doesn’t mean abdicating parental responsibilities, it means building honest communication, when our kids are little and when they’re big. It’s not always easy; still, it seems to me, it’s the whole point.
—excerpt from Living Is for Living: A Caregiver’s Story
I met Hannah when I coached her on a fast-pitch softball team. I never anticipated that it would be Hannah, ten years later, who’d help us care for Mom. No surprise, Hannah was a great teammate!
—excerpt from Living Is for Living: A Caregiver’s Story
Finding me awake and in tears, the nighttime nurse replied, “Your mom is 85. She has a complicated health history, with Alzheimer’s, diverticulitis, kidney disease, infection, limited activity level and dehydration. This clot is so big, it didn’t just happen in travel; this condition’s been developing for a while. This is not on you.” Thanks to her, I went from feeling alone to feeling the love.
—excerpt from Living Is for Living: A Caregiver’s Story
As my spouse and I drove 1400 miles to Maine where we’d set up shop for Mom and Cinnamon to join us, I tried to be brave, to count my lucky stars, to practice my faith. Fingers crossed, in prayer and gratitude.
—excerpt from Living Is for Living: A Caregiver’s Story
When I reminded her that her license had expired and reassured her that I’d be happy to drive her anywhere she wanted to go, Mom nodded and smiled. What a relief that the driving question was behind us.
—excerpt from Living Is for Living: A Caregiver’s Story
How could we be so blessed a third time around? He’s so many things…among them a constant reminder that this is not a limited supply of love and beauty we are dealing with, it’s an endless one.
—excerpt from Living Is for Living: A Caregiver’s Story
Of the many difficult decisions we’d made in caring for Mom, one of the most challenging was moving her away from her home in Maine. The time had come to move her back. Fingers crossed her health would remain stable until we got her there.
—excerpt from Living Is for Living: A Caregiver’s Story
Sunday morning, two days after we stopped the Tramadol, as she tried to make sense of the prior couple of days, Mom asked, “Who’s going to keep me from going crazy?” I was glad I could answer, “I will do my best, Mom, and Doug will help too.”
—excerpt from Living Is for Living: A Caregiver’s Story
