AS A CAREGIVER THERE WILL BE DAYS LIKE THS…
DAYS LIKE THIS…
I always put my Mother first—it’s a natural Caregiver impulse. And in putting my Mom first, that means that my needs, wants and wishes take a back seat to hers. And some days, that is just a little too much for me to handle. Days like this…
My Mother volunteers at her church once a week. And on that day, I pack her a lunch. The lunches vary from homemade soups to specially made sandwiches and always include healthy snacks (fruit, cheese, nuts) and a sweet snack of some sort. Along with her favorite flavored water. Everything is carefully packed with any tops already loosened for ease of opening.
My Mother loves the lunches and feels special as the meals enjoyed by the other volunteers do not compare to hers; thus, giving her bragging rights. And my Mom enjoys bragging. To be honest, I believe that the boxed lunch is the primary motivating factor in my Mom’s volunteer efforts.
This day began with me preparing a special lunch for my Mother. And I was creating this luncheon delight even though I didn’t think that she should volunteer on this day. She had a recent fall (absolutely nothing serious), but she experiences pain when she walks with the Walker. I felt that she should remain at home with her leg raised, iced and Tylenol for another day or so until the pain subsided. However, she insisted on going to Church claiming that the other volunteers would provide any assistance needed.
Facing the daily dilemma of acting as a Daughter and acquiescing to my Mother’s wishes or assuming the Caregiver role and demanding that she remain at home; I opted to avoid any further unpleasantness and let her go.
Letting her go involved me helping her every step of the way.
In an effort to reduce some of the walking which I knew would be painful, I wheeled her downstairs in her Walker.
Noticing that the transportation had not yet arrived…
I positioned the Walker in a place in the shade outside. I made sure that the Walker was secure and could not be moved.
I asked her if she was comfortable.
She smiled and said yes. At that moment, I looked at her directly and said,
“I’ll be back.”
She looked a tad confused when I then said,
“And if I don’t come back, at least you have a lunch!”
While I turned and walked away.
As a Caregiver, “You must remember, there will be days like this…”
VAN MORRISON – “DAYS LIKE THIS”
https://youtu.be/3UUWkr4FUlo?si=9NC0hxyndR9hOxx_
AND BEFORE U ABUSE, CRITICIZE AND ACCUSE…Walk a Mile in My Shoes
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