Comforting My Peeps

“We are each other’s harvest;

We are each other’s business:

we are each other’s magnitude and bond.”

~ Gwendolyn Brooks

 Care giving is on my mind these days as my siblings and I offer additional support to our parents.

Giving care to those who are ill, to those who are babies, to those who are elderly and to those who are recuperating is one of the most selfless and loving acts a person can do for another.  Yet it can also be challenging for you, as the caregiver, are balancing so many mental and physical needs.

The obvious ones are the needs of the person you are taking care of, but the needs of you the caregiver are also important, for if you are unfocused and exhausted you can’t take care of another person very well.

Care giving takes time and in today’s hurly burly, I needed it yesterday world, people don’t always have much time to dedicate to another.  Perhaps many of you reading this today have taken care of a spouse or loved one before their death or have given support to someone who has come home from the hospital. I’m sure you did a great job even if it didn’t feel that way at the time.

I’m sure the person you were caring for felt your love and support and that is a huge thing.  We all want to maintain our independence but then life happens and we find ourselves vulnerable and in need of the care from those who care about us the most.

It is scary when a loved one is ill and you are giving medicine and trying to relieve pain.  No one wants to see a loved one suffering and it is a responsibility that takes you out of your comfort zone because you find yourself in a place you have never been before.

I took care of my husband before his death and I am so glad that I did.  He was not an easy patient but I loved him and always wanted the best for him.  My guiding thought at that time was to care for him the way that I would want myself to be cared for if I were in his situation.  There were times when he didn’t want his medicine, didn’t want to do the exercises and really didn’t want to follow a different diet.

Those are times when I was glad that I was there for him because I knew that during those times when he didn’t want to follow the rules were also the times when he was scared and frustrated and just needed to know he was loved and that others cared about him.

Our peeps are precious and we show them how much they mean to us by taking care of them.

Hugs to all who are out there every day taking care of other people.

Trust and believe, for you are amazing!!

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