Mark Twain

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do ...
Explore. Dream. Discover." Mark Twain

Monday, August 15, 2011

Through My Care Giver Eyes - August 15, 2011


Starting this blog a year ago was for me.

For me the knitter, the friend, the walker, the senior citizen fighting the march of time, the wife, the mother. To talk about my goals, my interests, my experiences, my ideas about everything. To blather and to blather. To vent, to share, to create, to question, and to enjoy.

I wanted
to find comfort and contentment in the simple act of living my daily life
and find joy in that alone.

For anyone who was paying attention to that litany, you will notice I didn't mention the biggest part of my existence now ... my care giving role for my mother. Without saying it publicly, however, this blog was also a way of dealing with my ever demanding role as caregiver. The blog was a way to focus and hold on to all other aspects of my life that I felt were being sucked away by my role as caregiver.

In some regards I have been successful. And from time to time I have touched on mom's life with me, but superficially.

To tuck away the thoughts and emotions of being a caregiver is to ignore and diminish the biggest and most important part of myself as I am now. So I choose now to fold you into my world of care giving for an elderly person through a series of postings on this part of my life.

I am sharing because I need this blog to do as it intended ...

To find comfort and contentment in the simple act of living my daily life
as a caregiver
and find joy in that alone.

For these segments I will turn off the reader's comments. I am not looking to encourage conversation or public discussion on these periodic postings. I have found that comments about my caregiver role - whether supportive or critical - have not always been helpful. And, sadly, I have experienced both.

It is the value I place on this role that is my focus.

And for those who are not interested in this topic, you can easily skip past the posts as they occur. They will always be titled "Through My Care Giver Eyes" and dated. But over the last year I have found friendship and understanding in many of you, so I hope you will follow along with me on this path as well.

As always I can be reached privately at the blog email.

Retired Knitter
Daughter and Care Giver

PS - Despite all the ways I have helped and failed you Mom, I love you!