A Caregiver's Affirmation

 Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well
and serenely and with too high a spirit
to be encumbered with your old nonsense.
— Ralph Waldo Emerson

As I cast my mind back over my life and my time of caregiving, I see the lessons I have learned, the growth I have experienced, the intuition I have tuned and strengthened. All this is available to serve me. I gather my resources and rise to the occasion.

When people aren’t responding as I would want, I have the intuition to recognize it, the voice with which to respond, and the wisdom to choose constructive words. When my support systems fail me, my purposeful resourcefulness will bring me through. Some supports can be mended, while others can be replaced. I have the inner resources to do what must be done. I am even strong enough to ask for help.

And more turmoiled moments, when my mind wanders into its “bad neighborhood,” I can take a mental step backward, raise my vision, and look at the whole of this caregiving journey within the context of my life. I am not the cause and I am not the solution. I am playing my part. That is all I can ever do.

Caregiving is an honorable service. I am a character in a complex play that I cannot fully understand and certainly cannot control. My presence and my compassion are my biggest gifts. I will look for opportunities to celebrate life.