If you’re at the 49andcounting age, and you’re lucky enough to still have parents living, you may have come to this place in life that you never readied yourself for. Caretaker.
For years, my mother has been the ‘caretaker’. With 5 children, for every surgery, every death of a child, every divorce, every crisis our families had, my mother would come to the rescue. She was always there. Helping each of us to pick up the pieces, cooking, cleaning, taxiing children, sitting by hospital beds, loaning money, holding hands, praying. All it took was a phone call, and she was there. She has always been the rock when we felt on sinking sand.
And now we are at a place in life that it’s our time to be there for her.
I’ve spent the past few days staying with my mom in her beautiful apartment at an Assisted Living Community, and as I look around I am surrounded by families who have come to this same place in life. There are a lot of us 49andcounting kids having to grow up and do the caretaking. I ask myself, “How can I help to make her life as wonderful and joyful as she made mine? How can I help her navigate her way through the struggles of aging, not treat her like a child, but give her all the independence and dignity she so deserves?” It’s frustrating for her, and at times, me.
So we laugh, and we cry, and we even say “d_mn” every now and then.
I’m praying for those of you who are in the same place. For the struggles, the heartaches, the hard choices…but especially that you can laugh and see the blessing that now…. ‘it’s her turn’.
49andcounting 