To me, it’s not a paying back or a pay-it-forward. I think of it as a graduation. I was a huge consumer of support groups while I was caregiving. I know how much I needed those sessions with others in a similar place. The neutral space where other caregivers talk freely under the guidance ofContinue reading “I ♥️ Support Groups”
Tag Archives: #after-our-journey
After care
Caregiving is a purposeful and busy occupation. While I was Burt’s caregiver, I had focus and pep even when I was worried and tired. Since Burt passed, just over a year ago, I have felt I was aging. I am, of course, as time rolls by, but it feels as if I went from energeticContinue reading “After care”
Always here
Are memories a way of keeping Burt near? His presence remains in my heart, but when I remember where we had been together, it’s as if he were actually with me, not just in spirit. Could I always have practiced this total recall? Was that much always available to me? And where do these memoriesContinue reading “Always here”
The celebration
In February, on the 25th- yes, I know it’s still 2 months+ away- it will be one year since Burt’s passing. It feels like it’s been so much longer. Not just because he had been going [or gone] for the better part of five years before that. The not-quite a year has moved slowly, draggingContinue reading “The celebration”
Laugh, love, remember
Honoring those we love who have died is not a matter of constant sorrow. I was in a speakeasy Friday night, having fun watching the young, and, yes, being honored by them. [See “You are icons.” Prohibitions is back, baby.] Intentionality, my awkward word for mindfulness, makes it essential to laugh while grieving. This isContinue reading “Laugh, love, remember”
What prepared me for my role as caregiver
This writing prompt prompted me to consider what life was like during my journey with Burt and where it is now… Life after your spouse dies has a new landscape. When added into that structural change is the fact that you spent many years as a caregiver, well, that’s a now what moment. At leastContinue reading “What prepared me for my role as caregiver”
Quiet
The house is very empty without Burt’s presence. After he passed, I changed its configuration, flipping bedroom for livingroom. There is a kind of hush over both rooms. In many ways, it doesn’t feel like it was his house these last few years. Well, that’s not completely true; actually the big brown chair – hisContinue reading “Quiet”
this is our life 