I thought I would take a few moments and share some of the things I have learned this year. I wish that I could add "Patience" to the top of my list but that would be a lie. However I would say the "ability to adapt" has been a gift. From a caregivers point of view it is the most valuable tool. A couple of years ago barely a day passed that didn't involve tears. I was trying to make Mom's disease fit into my life. Eventually I learned that I needed to adapt my life to fit Mom's disease and things are going much smoother. There have been some bumps in the road but overall we are coping.
Everyday is different. What worked like a charm yesterday could be a flaming disaster today. But I have learned to roll with it. And a dark and twisty sense of humour doesn't hurt.
I have also learned that some things can wait. My house isn't always as clean and tidy as it should be, and sometimes I miss a deadline and I don't get to spend as much time with my friends as I would like but for now this is where I have to be.
And most importantly I have learned that you can develop the most wonderful, caring, supportive friendships with people you have never met face to face or ever have heard their voice but they become a part of what holds you up.
Happy New Year to all.
Kim,
ReplyDeleteI am so with you on the thought of having wonderful, caring frienships with people you never met; wow! Isn't that a great thing?
Happy New Year to you...
Dear Kim,
ReplyDeleteFirst you have me laughing and now you have me crying! Oh how I identify with this post. You hit several nails right on the head as to the support from those we have never met or heard their actual voices...... But we do "hear" each other and most importantly respond to each other's needs. It's a blessing to be a part of that!
See you on the flip side!
Hugs!
Cathy G
What a thoughtful post. Have a very Happy New Year!!
ReplyDeleteVery lovely and sweet post. I am in awe of you because I think I come here because you teach me about living out loud all of the time. I love that you find humor in the hard things that come your way and you are always inspiring. I feel very thankful to have been given the gift of knowing you. So thank you for being you. Oh and my voice, I sound like Bambi when he learns to say birrda, I don't think I have a accent but a friend in England told me that. So I guess I do. I just thought you would like to know.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful New Year, Kim
Your post has made me cry...
ReplyDeleteHappy Happy New Year!
Hi Kim, I think what you are doing in your daily life should be an inspiration to everyone. Taking care of us elderly folk is no easy job and you do it so well. It is a joy for me to read your blog each day and feel that I know you through cyberspace! I wish for you Joy, Health and Peace in the New Year.
ReplyDeleteDear Kim,
ReplyDeleteI hope when my time comes to take care of my Mother, I can do it with as much grace as you do. And you do it without losing your sense of humor!
Thank you so much for being a blogger friend. Yes, it's amazing how much love and support we can share even though we may never actually speak in person.
Bless you and your family!
I hope your New Year is filled with all the Best!
Hi Kim, I have learned that even strangers can show kindness and inspiration when others don't understand the strain of continual illness.
ReplyDeleteLong term illness in a family member is not like anything you can explain to anyone unless their dealing with it.The friends that have listened to me since my daughter developed MS are kinder then any family members can be. The world is a small place and it just seems like to me The Good Lord finds someone out there that understands what a hard road your having. We all laugh through the tears. Showing understanding to others continually and putting others needs first is extremely wearing on a person.My wish to you this new Year is to appreciate the person you are and Know that you have a great wit and a brave soul.Hugs Cheri
Blog girlfriends are special people. We can sense each others pain and we are not shy about giving a kind word as an internet hug.
ReplyDeleteWishing you the strength to endure this year.
Keep smiling as you have made us smile this year. Our hearts are with you.
I started my blog on jan 27 of 2010 I am amazed every day at how close and wonderful a community this is. as for what you do for your mother and your aunt it is a very hard thing but has it's rewards As you well know.
ReplyDeleteI hope you have a wonderful new year filled with days you can laugh out loud.
Cathy
KIM,MY DEARST FRIEMD, tonight , my husband and I watched "So You Think You Can Dance" although we never bother to watch the whole thing before I want you to know that you won the best dancer of the year in my heart . HUGS TO YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART. Kim, you have kept your sense of humor when most of us would have lost it. Kim I Love you. Have the best that a new year can offer, hugs. Julia
ReplyDeleteI mean FRIEND. lol JB
ReplyDeleteI remember the first few years of living with dad, I cried every day but I have learned to 'live with him, not him with me' and you are correct, it makes all the difference!
ReplyDeleteBest wishes for a great new year,
Karen
Happy New Year From Southern California.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget to watch the 122nd Rose Parade on New Year's Day coming from Pasadena, California...only 30 miles from The Old Geezer's home :-)
No matter what looms ahead, if you can eat today, enjoy today, mix good cheer with friends today enjoy it and bless God for it. ~Henry Ward Beecher
May God Bless and Protect You in the Year to Come. ~Ron
Kim a very sweet post. You are doing a wonderful thing for your Mom and Aunt. Thank God for family AND friends. I have so enjoyed your sense of funny and reading your blog has been such a great experience.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year to you Kim, may it be filled with only good things and laughter.
Kim,
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year to you, Auntie, your dear mom and of course, Milly. We are friends and maybe one day, we will meet at Deanne's studio. Wouldn't that be a hoot! I always drop in there on my way to Montreal/Toronto.
Blessings always, dear Kim
Julie
Hi Kim,
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year to you and your family and of course, I am including Millie. Hopefully this year will be if not better, no worse than the last. You are a wonderful person and I have enjoyed your posts from the first one to the last. Take care and enjoy your day with family and friends. As Forrest Gump said: My momma always said, "Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."
Very wise words from a very wonderful woman! :-) Hugs to you Kim!
ReplyDeleteKim ~
ReplyDeleteYou make me laugh and you make you cry. You are such a giving person and there's a special place in heaven for you.
Happy New Year to you, Mom, Auntie and Millie.
Love you, girlfriend :)
Lauren
Happy New Year! What a great post! I follow quite a few blogs,{a whole lot actually!}, and love reading them! I usually feel like I don't have anything "wonderful" to say, so I don't post many myself, and it's not very often that I comment on anyone else's....
ReplyDeleteThe ability to adapt, things can wait, and the friendships that have been made between bloggers... ...oh, how I, too, can identify with you! I also carry the title "caregiver" {to my husband}, and love the few moments when I can "steal away" and read blogs! I just wish that I could write as well as these bloggers!!!! Thanx for sharing, and I look forward to getting to know you more in 2011~