CCC–CAREGIVER’S CONSCIENCE CLUB
THE SERENITY PRAYER
God, grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The Courage to change the things that I can,
And the Wisdom to know the difference.
This verse was written by Reinhold Niebuhr circa 1932. It is commonly referred to as “the Serenity Prayer.” Despite the spiritual reference to God, the verse is neither in the Torah nor in the Bible. It is most popularly used as the Prayer of Acceptance often recited at the beginning of AA Meetings. Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) was established in 1935 and the popularity of this verse increased along with the organization’s membership.
Words have meaning. And so much is said in those three lines with reference to almost any situation.
With respect to Caregiving, there are many things that I cannot change. First of all, my Mother is getting older. She has had multiple strokes and can no longer live alone. She needs my help. Therefore, I am a Caregiver.
The things I can change are easier said than done. I can change how I respond and react to the situation at hand. I can look for the silver-lining in my daily conference of clouds. I can exercise more patience and try harder to hold my tongue. I can try harder to see the entire Caregiving experience as a privilege versus a punishment. I can try.
If I were to re-write the words to the Serenity Prayer to fit my Caregiver’s Conscience, it may sound a little like this…
God, please grant me the Patience to accept things as they are,
The Strength and the Courage to change my thoughts, feelings and actions regarding my Caregiver position,
And the Wisdom to recognize the highest good for all concerned.
Suppose there actually was CCC—Caregiver’s Conscience Club? A community where Caregiver’s were encouraged by the experiences, challenges, and the triumphs of other Caregivers.
In Alcoholics Anonymous there are Sponsors—people who understand the struggle because they have been through it. And in the case of AA—those people are still going through it. Perhaps, that’s the key.
Only another Caregiver knows.
The obvious challenge is, when, where and how would such a Community exist? There is no downtime for the Caregiver. There is no rest, me-time or free time. There is, however, a curfew—a prescribed amount of time when the Caregiver can be away from home. And when the Caregiver goes out—the objective is to eliminate all thoughts of Caregiving. When I go out, the last place that I want to go is a Club 4 Caregivers. where the main topic of conversation is Caregiving. CAREGIVER GONE WILD
It sounds good in theory–Caregiver’s Conscience Club. But then so do a lot of things—sound good in theory.
SERENITY
PATIENCE
STRENGTH
COURAGE
WISDOM
A Caregiver’s Prayer.
THE ORIGINAL – “I SAY A LITTLE PRAYER”
DIONNE WARWICK – “I SAY A LITTLE PRAYER”
A CAREGIVER’S CONSCIENCE PODCAST – “PRAYERS OF A CAREGIVER”
https://youtu.be/dSYgardh_ME?si=6RQsISQ6HFR-E8jn
A CAREGIVER’S CONSCIENCE – THE BLOG
*Information regarding Alcoholics Anonymous was sourced online from the AA Website
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