Saluting the Family Caregivers

Linda was at her wit's end. She struggled out of the driver's seat and half ran, half stumbled up the stoop to her granddaughter's apartment.

"Honey, I just had to talk to somebody. Granddaddy's--I just had to talk to someone." Tears brimmed as Linda stood at the door, unwilling to come inside and greet the tiny great-grandbabies, but desperate for some human kindness in the fleeting moments while her aging, demetia-stricken husband napped at home.

Squeezing her granddaughter's hand, she poured out her story.

"He got a new prescription, and I don't know what to do. He's so angry at me all the time. And, honey, the mess he made in the floor before I could help him get to the restroom. Sometimes I feel like I'm going crazy."

The pressure of her granddaughter's hug and prayer warmed her as she backed out of the parking lot and headed back home to face caregiving for the man she once knew and promised to love, as long as they both should live.

For better or worse.

If you're caring for a family member, please know that you aren't alone. And while it may seem that life is passing you by, also know that you reap what you sow. You are gaining strength that will bless you the rest of your life, and YOU ARE OUR HERO.

God bless you.