“… I mean, it is what it is,” the flippant remark accompanied the doctor’s flick of the light switch, “there’s nothing we can do – you won’t regain the sight in that eye. Good thing it’s your weak eye.” His quick exit did nothing to relieve my rigid shoulders. My… Read more““It Is What It Is”…but God IS Bigger”
Category: Repercussions
One of the strangest parts of a caregiver’s journey is the bewilderment one faces at the ‘new normal.’
Why You Should Forget About New Year’s Resolutions
Kiss Resolutions Goodbye! For years I made New Year’s resolutions: lose weight, start an exercise program, have better health, give up chocolate, and myriad other impossible proclamations. While my husband recovered from his stem-cell transplant, I spent all of my spare time in bed. I felt grumpy and depressed and… Read more“Why You Should Forget About New Year’s Resolutions”
What If and If Only
As I stood under the spray of my shower yesterday morning, the what if moments of our cancer journey replayed through my mind. The remonstrating hospital staff telling me that I shouldn’t do that repeated in my head as well. But my son bleeding in his tears haunts me and… Read more“What If and If Only”
Autopilot – the mode of operation for long-term caregivers
Autopilot becomes the way we handle things flung at us as new caregivers. Actually, who am I kidding? It didn’t get easier just because it became longer – in fact, the longer I lived on emergency-ready, life-and-death mode, the grayer my world became. My son was four-years-0ld when we started… Read more“Autopilot – the mode of operation for long-term caregivers”
Safe in the Tub – the love in the midst of the impossible
This post is written with the gang over at Five-Minute-Friday where we write on a prompt, for five minutes, and then post. Don’t think, just do it! This week’s prompt: SAFE It’s been sitting for nine years, safe in the bin I threw it in when I tried to return… Read more“Safe in the Tub – the love in the midst of the impossible”
Five Tips for Celebrating National Survivors Day
Today we celebrate National Cancer Survivors Day—a day to celebrate survivorship as well as bring attention to the fact that winning cancer doesn’t always signify that the battle has ended. It’s a day to cheer on those who survived as well as acknowledge that survivors face ongoing challenges. Cancer changes… Read more“Five Tips for Celebrating National Survivors Day”
Do You Have a Life Plan?
out-of-control focus? A Life Plan Can help: Part II (CLICK FOR PART I) Have you ever had a focus problem? Mine started when I became a parent (parenting is HARD work and seems to require all of our focus!), and intensified during my caregiving journey. About three years after Pedro’s miraculous… Read more“Do You Have a Life Plan?”
Out-of-focus Caregiving Can Harm Your Health
I learned the hard way what happens when I lose my focus. I opened the box and quickly tore the wrapper from around its contents. Ah. Pure bliss—a thick layer of dark chocolate covered an incredible sweet bar of chocolate ice cream. “How do you spell relief?” I asked myself…. Read more“Out-of-focus Caregiving Can Harm Your Health”
The Shocking Truth About My Neck and Calves
Dealing with Distortions I have a huge, thick, gargantuan neck. When I wear something with a rounded collar, my face doubles in width and takes on a moon-like glow. Ever since I noticed this amazing propensity of necklines to change the proportions of my face, I’ve avoided athletic t-shirts and… Read more“The Shocking Truth About My Neck and Calves”
Tales from the Border Tell Two Sides of a Story
The Beggar’s Face Again I sat quietly on the steps of the farmacia on the corner, fanning off flies, vendors, and heat. Almost directly in front of me, young soldiers guarded the square dusty space between the town and the border crossing; the gateway to my own country waiting to… Read more“Tales from the Border Tell Two Sides of a Story”
