Sunday, May 26, 2013

and life goes on....

The task of caring for an aging (ailing) parent is gargantuan. And our (aging parent) doesn't even reside with us....

I have acquired a healthy dose of respect for all who are involved in their elderly parent's lives. The task comes with emotional potholes complete with triumphant highs and despairing lows. We comb thinning hair. We help with general hygiene and toileting. We cut food into manageable tidbits and when those tidbits cannot be managed, we spoon feed. We show up again and again because we love and because we can.

It is a tender duty filled with moments of poignancy. We laugh - a lot. Thankfully, Ellen is a good sport and laughs along with us.

Ellen has the means to afford this room in an adult family home. This picture was taken before we personalized it with a few pictures and quilts to make it feel more like home. She is safe here, fed home cooked meals and monitored closely. We feel fortunate to have found such loving and attentive care in this beautiful home.


So.... with Glynn and I feeling a bit frayed around the edges since his mom's hip fracture in March, April's terror attack in Boston, the deadly tornado in Oklahoma, not to mention the I-5 bridge collapse last week, I've certainly had my days of wanting to crawl back into bed in the morning and put the covers over my head.

I made time to create yesterday. Often I sit down with no agenda in mind and then marvel at what message my soul is attempting to communicate to my brain when I finish a piece.....